Student movements in Korea

Under Japanese rule 1919, participation in the March First Movement The earliest major student movement in modern Korean history was in response to Japanese colonial rule, leading up to the March First Movement for independence. Inspired by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's call for the self determination of nations, the rebuffing of Korean representatives at the Paris Peace Conference, and the sudden death of the penultimate Korean monarch Gojong, Korean students studying at Japanese universities gathered to produce a declaration of Korean independence. Submitted to the Japanese government, foreign press, embassies, and read in a ceremony at the Joseon Christian Youth Association Hall in Tokyo on February 8, 1919, the declaration and subsequent arrests of the student activists stirred domestic sentiments for political independence. June 10, 1926 student protest On June 10, 1926, the funeral date of Emperor of Korea Sunjong, secondary and university students in Seoul staged a protest and distributed a manifesto calling for Korean independence. Over 200 students were arrested. Gwangju student movement November 1929 – March 1930 The Gwangju student movement formed in response to ethnic discrimination against Korean students in the colonial education system. On October 30, 1929, racially motivated harassment of female Korean students by Japanese students lead to a clash aboard a commuter train between students of both ethnicities. The student had gone missing during his participation in the prior demonstrations against the rigging of the March 15, 1960 presidential elections. On April 18, 1960, several student leaders at Korea University in Seoul mobilized 3,000 students in a march to the National Assembly building. Police opened fire on protestors, killing over 180 people. Rhee declared martial law in order to repress further demonstrations. These events came to be known as the April Revolution, and resulted in the eventual resignation of President Rhee on April 26, 1960. The Gwangju Massacre in May 1980 triggered stronger revolutionary sentiments in student movements, especially Marxist perspectives. Park Jong Chul was a Seoul National University student who died under police custody. During the protest, student Lee Han Yeol was seriously injured by a tear gas grenade penetrating his skull. He died from his injuries on July 5, with news of his martyrdom increasing citizens' distrust of the Chun administration. These events culminated in the June Democracy Movement. Chun ultimately agreed to a constitutional revision that established a system of direct election for president. == Present ==

2008 candlelight vigil After the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States, a candle light vigil was held to oppose the import of beef into South Korea from the United States. In response, the South Korean government initially suspended the import of beef. College students and associated organizations demanded that the government fulfill its promises, claiming that tuition was too expensive and students forced to work part-time jobs could not attend to their school work. Civil society and the university students demonstrated every day, with students performing the symbolic 10,000 bae, or 10,000 bows, representing the sacrifice of 10,000 earthly desires. Ultimately, the government did not implement the promised half-tuition fee, but did increase government scholarships for low-income students. 2015–16 demonstration for comfort women agreement A number of NGOs and international organizations had been engaged in the addressing and investigation of the so called "comfort women issue" since the 1990s. Representatives of colleges and citizen activists declared this agreement to be inadequate. 2024–25 presidential impeachment protests University students and youth were prominently involved in the protests triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law and subsequent impeachment proceedings. == See also ==