Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul, right, speaks at a 100-year integrated advisory meeting for June 10 Independence Movement held at the Conference House Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, June 1. Yonhap
Korea will hold an event later this week to mark the centennial anniversary of a key student-led independence movement during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, the veterans ministry said Tuesday.
The commemorative event for the June 10 movement will be held at Seoul's central Gwanghwamun Square on Wednesday, bringing together around 800 people, including descendants of independence fighters and members of the general public, according to the ministry.
The June 10 Movement was organized by students and religious leaders in 1926 to stand up against Japan's colonization of Korea by staging a nationwide protest on the day of the state funeral of Sunjong, the last king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
But their plan was exposed, leading to the arrest of the movement's leaders. The crackdown by the Japanese colonial authorities sparked large-scale student demonstrations across the country and helped lay the groundwork for further student-led protests.
