March 1st Spirit and the Republic of Korea "The Republic of Korea, established by the March 1st Movement," as stated in the Constitution
The Constituent Assembly, in the preamble of the Constitution, declared, "We, the people of Korea, with a long history and tradition, inherit the great spirit of independence declared to the world by establishing the Republic of Korea through the March 1st Movement, and now rebuild a democratic and independent nation."

The current Constitution, revised in 1987, also states in its preamble, "The Republic of Korea inherits the legitimacy of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea established by the March 1st Movement..." clearly stating that the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea lies in the March 1st Movement and the Provisional Government.

The March 1st Movement of 1919, which began with the sudden death and funeral of Emperor Gojong, was participated in by about 2.02 million people. This was equivalent to 10% of the total population of 20 million in Korea at that time.

The 'Declaration of Grand Unity' and the Provisional Government
Fourteen independence activists, including Shin Kyu-shik, Shin Chae-ho, and Cho So-ang, in the 'Declaration of Grand Unity' written in 1917, declared, "The act of Emperor Sunjong of the Korean Empire transferring the sovereignty of the Korean Empire to the Japanese Empire through the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty is null and void, and the abandoned sovereignty is succeeded to the Korean people."

The 'Declaration of Grand Unity,' which proposed to organize the highest organ by gathering all existing organizations in various overseas regions, played a significant role in the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in 1919.

The world's first constitution to stipulate a democratic republic
After the March 1st Movement, anti-Japanese independence activists gathered in Shanghai and established the Provisional Council on April 10, 1919, and established the Shanghai Provisional Government on April 11. In this process, there were discussions about the national title, form of government, and provisional constitution.

The national title was decided as the Republic of Korea by Shin Seok-woo's proposal, "Let's rise again with Korea, as we fell with Korea," and the Provisional Charter of the Republic of Korea was also enacted.

There was also an important decision in terms of world political history. Article 1 of the Provisional Charter stipulated that the national title was 'The Republic of Korea shall be a democratic republic.' At that time, there was no country anywhere in the world that stipulated a democratic republic in its constitution. It was the world's first.

In addition, Article 3 stipulates that 'The people of the Republic of Korea shall be equal in all rights, without distinction of gender, social status, or wealth,' and thus the right to equality is specified first among all rights.

Except for the Shanghai Provisional Government, no other organizations ever called themselves provisional governments. The Provisional Government was only used as a name to refer to the government.

Each organization used the national titles of Goryeo, Shinhan Republic, Joseon Republic, and the Great Korean Republic of the Hansung Government, respectively, but it was unified into the Republic of Korea of the Shanghai Provisional Government according to the integration.

The Shanghai Provisional Government and overseas compatriots
The personnel composition of the Provisional Government was virtually made up of overseas compatriots. It is a widely known fact that the independence funds of the Provisional Government were largely supported by the devotion of overseas compatriots, mainly Korean farmers in Hawaii's sugarcane fields.

Provisional government officials promoted international opinion on the independence of Korea by establishing diplomatic relations with China, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, France, Poland, Mongolia, etc., various diplomatic activities with the League of Nations and European countries, and attending various international conferences.

The Shanghai Incident by Yoon Bong-gil also led to international opinion on the independence of Korea with the support of China. The Provisional Government, which settled in Chongqing, created the Korean Liberation Army and played an active role as a member of the UN forces, and was preparing for the recovery operation of the country with the Allied forces, but returned home due to the defeat of Japan.

The March 1st Declaration of Independence and the Provisional Charter of the Republic of Korea
The date of promulgation of the Provisional Charter of the Republic of Korea (April 11, 1919), which was established by the March 1st Movement, is marked as "The first year of the Republic of Korea," and the era of the establishment of the Republic of Korea government on August 15, 1948, is calculated as 'The 30th year of the Republic of Korea.'

It is considered that 1919, when the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established, was 'The first year of the Republic of Korea,' and 1948, when the government of the Republic of Korea was established, was marked as 'The 30th year of the Republic of Korea.'

The preamble of the Provisional Charter states, "Our people are (omitted) free citizens of an independent democratic state," and quoted the content of the March 1st Declaration of Independence, "We hereby declare that our Joseon is an independent country and that Koreans are a sovereign people."

The March 1st Declaration of Independence does not contain any content about fighting with force. It only claims independence with the 'army in the name of justice' and 'weapons in the name of humanity.'

It mainly consists of macroscopic expressions such as 'It is not intended to accuse Japan of betrayal or to blame its brutality,' 'There is no time to blame the past,' and 'It was annexed to Japan and lost the opportunity to contribute to world culture.'

Even if the king flees, it is the people who protect the country
Whenever the country was in trouble, such as the Japanese invasion of Korea, the Manchu invasion of Korea, and the Japanese occupation, it was not the powerful people who enjoyed power, but the people who were oppressed and despised who risked their lives and stood up.

It was the king who abandoned the people and fled, but it was the people who protected the country. It was the powerful people who ruined the country, but it was the people who saved the country. Monks, slaves, butchers, hunters, and prostitutes who left the secular world fought in their respective positions and passed away beautifully.

Even in the ever-changing wheel of history, the common people have protected the country. Even though the era has changed, the noble spirit of the common people to protect the country has continued without any change. Therefore, it is the value of ‘the grassroots’ and ‘the people’ that is conveyed to us with greater and deeper resonance.

People are heaven, and the people are heaven
The Constitution is the law of laws made for the sovereign people. In Chapter 2, Article 10 of the Constitution, 'Rights and Duties of the People', the word 'people' appears 31 times until Article 39.

Son Byeong-hee, the representative of the 33 people who declared the March 1st Movement, said, 'Innaechoen', that is, 'People are heaven.' It is a very right word. I would like to add one more thing here. 'Minnaecheon', that is, 'The people are heaven.'

The country is in trouble. Recently, at a dinner with junior overseas compatriots, a toast was impressive that asked for a response of 'I should also do well' when the phrase 'The country is in trouble' was 선창. It meant, 'The country is in trouble, so I should do well too.'

This year is the 106th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Korea by the March 1st Movement, the 120th anniversary of the Eulsa Treaty, and the 80th anniversary of liberation. It is time for all of us to become one with the spirit of March 1st and create a greater Republic of Korea. As it has been until now, it is time for 'the people to protect the country, the people to protect'