경기·인천지역 만세시위의 확산 양상

Abstract

Examined in this article is how the Manse(“Man-se, 萬歲”) Protests expanded in the Gyeonggi and Incheon area. Observation is made on several aspects: first-ever gatherings in each of all areas, the role the market place played in such protests, and how the size of the Japanese population living in the areas affected the protests.BR The Gyeong’gi province and the wider Incheon area today served as key areas in the March 1st movement, but they were curiously absent from the early protest coordinators’ plan (to spread the protest countrywide), so the Manse protests in the area began a little bit late than other regions. However, in the early phase of the March 1st movement, the students were instrumental in spreading the Manse protests inside the Gyeong’gi･Incheon area, and after March 20th the marketplaces served as a virtual mobile platform. Wherever makeshift markets were opened large-scale Manse protests ensued. In Gimpo, Yangpyeong, Paju, Suweon, Jangdan and Icheon, the protests literally trailed the marketplaces as they moved from one place to the next. Protests in marketplaces were much more fierce, and the response of the Japanese colonial authorities were also much harsher.BR Also examined in this article is the correlation between the level of activeness (alongside size) of the March 1st protests in respective areas, and the size of Japanese population living in each of those areas. We can see that, in individual areas located throughout the Gyeong’gi･Incheon region, the less the size of Japanese population in the area was, the more the Manse protests tended to become fierce and active. Contrary to a previous notion which argued that areas which were pillaged by the Japanese more so than other areas were the ones that displayed much more fierce protests, strong resistance and protests seem to have been displayed in areas where local communities of Koreans remained relatively in tact.BR In future studies, regions other than Gyeong’gi and Incheon should be examined more as well, and as many country-wide variables as possible should be taken into account. Only by doing so we would be able to have a more comprehensive and accurate historical review of the entire March 1st movement.