{{Short description|1926 protest against colonial rule in Korea}} {{About|mass protests across the Korean Peninsula that took place on June 10, 1926|the mass protests in South Korea which started on June 10, 1987|June Democratic Struggle}} {{Infobox protest | title = June Tenth Movement | partof = the Korean independence movement | image = 6.10 만세운동.jpg | caption = A Japanese soldier on horseback during the protest (1926) | date = {{Start date|1926|06|10}} | place = Mainly Keijō, also student strikes around Korea | causes = the death of Sunjong of Korea and inspiration from the March First Movement | goals = * Secure Korea's independence * Gain international support | methods = Nonviolent resistance | result = Suppression | side1 = Korean independence activists | side2 = Government-General of Chōsen | howmany1 = Several hundred | howmany2 = At least 7,000 | arrests = Around 200 }}
The '''June Tenth Movement''' ({{Korean|hangul=6·10만세운동|hanja=六十萬歲運動}}) was a 1926 student protest primarily held in Keijō (Seoul), Korea against Japanese colonial rule.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=김 |first=호일 |title=6·10만세운동 (六十萬歲運動) |work=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0042124 |access-date=2024-06-22 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}</ref>
== Background == From 1910 to 1945, Korea was a colony of the Empire of Japan. In 1919, the March First Movement peaceful protests caused a spike in the Korean independence movement, particularly amongst the Korean diaspora.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Baik |first=Youngseo |date=2021-11-01 |title=The 1919 Independence Movement in Korea and Interconnected East Asia: The Incremental Unfolding of a Revolution |url=https://apjjf.org/2021/21/baik |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="EncyKorea Movement">{{Citation |last=김 |first=진봉 |title=3·1운동 (三一運動) |work=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0026772 |access-date=2024-04-29 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}</ref> However, by 1926, the independence movement had encountered a lull.<ref name=":0" /> Japan quelled international pressure to reform (in part via its {{Ill|Cultural rule|lt=cultural rule|ja|文化政治|ko|문화 통치}} policies),<ref name="EncyKorea Movement" /> the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai was encountering difficulties, and Korean militant resistance in Manchuria had peaked in 1921.<ref name=":0" /> Furthermore, the divisions between the political left and right in Korea intensified.<ref>{{Cite web |title=당시 정세 |trans-title=Situation at the time |url=http://www.610manse.or.kr/?page_id=5864 |access-date=June 22, 2024 |website=6.10만세운동기념사업회 [June Tenth Movement Memorial Society]}}</ref>
On April 26, 1926, the former Emperor of Korea Sunjong died. As the March First Movement had occurred in the wake of the death of Sunjong's father Gojong, the Japanese military braced for a similar wave of protests. It gathered 7,000 soldiers in Keijō (Seoul), and anchored its fleet in Busan and Incheon.<ref name=":0" />
Regardless of the circumstances, Korean students planned protests for the beginning of Sunjong's public funeral: June 10. As Japanese attention was often focused on established independence activists, the activities of students possibly went less detected.<ref name=":0" />
Various student groups planned and prepared their own protests for the day.<ref name=":0" /> This includes students of predecessors to the modern Yonsei University and Korea University.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-06-09 |title="대한민국 만세 소리 다시 일어나니"…6·10만세운동 기념식 |url=https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148916123 |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=www.korea.kr |language=ko}}</ref> For example, on June 8, a number of Koreans prepared flags and declarations of independence from Japan. They then had 10,000 copies of their declarations printed via a printing press normally used for the newspaper ''{{Ill|Shidae Ilbo|ko|시대일보 (1924년)}}''.<ref name=":0" />
== Description == On June 10, 1926, Sunjong's funeral procession began marching in Seoul, from the former palace Changdeokgung to the tomb Hongneung. Around 8:30 am, as the procession passed by Dansungsa, around 300 high school students began shouting "long live Korean independence!" ({{Korean|hangul=조선독립만세|labels=no}}) and handing out fliers. At various points during day, more student groups held similar protests.<ref name=":0" />
Crowds joined in the protests, but the heavy Japanese police presence lead to quick suppression. During the protests, around 210 students were arrested in Seoul, and 1,000 total were arrested around the peninsula. Around 53 ended up imprisoned.<ref name=":0" />
The protest was mostly limited to Seoul, although news of it spread around Korea. Students around across the Korean peninsula, including in Chongju, Ulsan, Gunsan, Pyongyang, Gongju, Jeonju, among other places, stayed home from school in solidarity with the protestors in Seoul.<ref name=":0" />
== Aftermath == Arrests continued through June and into July.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=임 |first=경석 |date=December 4, 2023 |title=‘6·10만세’ 학생이 했다? 일제의 취조 편의주의 결과 |url=https://h21.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/54756.html |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=한겨레21}}</ref>
In Shanghai, the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) monitored the progression of the protest. They invited {{Ill|Kim Dan-ya|ko|김단야}}, a leader in the protest movement, to speak in front of around 150 people in Shanghai.<ref name=":2" />
== Legacy == The movement was followed by the 1929 Gwangju Student Independence Movement.<ref name=":1" />
On December 8, 2020, the South Korean government designated June 10th as a national for commemoration throughout the country of the June Tenth Movement.<ref>{{cite news|title=Govt. designates June 10 as nat'l day to commemorate independence movement|url=https://www.koreaherald.com/article/2506856|publisher=The Korea Herald|date=December 8, 2020}}</ref> The 2023 commemoration took place in Hullyeonwon Park, site of Sunjong's funeral where the 1926 protests took place.<ref name=":1" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.610manse.or.kr/ Website for a memorial society for the movement] (in Korean)
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Category:Korean independence movement Category:1926 in Korea Category:Protests in Korea