Cyber Diplomacy Organization VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) has launched a full-scale global campaign to mark the 107th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, promoting the March 1 Proclamation of Korean Independence translated into 14 languages around the world under the slogan, “We Are the Global Ambassadors of the March 1 Proclamation!”
The campaign was planned at a time when global interest in Korean pop culture has reached a peak, with the number of Hallyu fans worldwide recently surpassing 200 million. VANK aims to elevate the spirit of Korea’s independence movement into a form of “historical Hallyu” and imprint its meaning on people across the globe.
■ A century-old message revived in 14 languages, spreading worldwide through social media
Participation is simple. Internet users can visit VANK’s website featuring the translated proclamation, choose a passage that moves them most from among versions in 14 languages—including English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic—and share it on their personal social media accounts.
In particular, VANK has reinterpreted the difficult archaic language of 1919 into modern Korean, allowing today’s teenagers and young adults to more easily understand and relate to the values of peace and humanitarianism embedded in the proclamation.
■ Correcting Japan-centered distortions and setting history straight
VANK says it is focusing on the campaign due to what it sees as an imbalance in how Korean history is described in textbooks around the world.
Many foreign textbooks currently highlight only Japan’s colonial rule, while often leaving out the vibrant history of the Korean people’s independence movement in resistance.
Park Gi-tae, director of VANK, said promoting the March 1 Proclamation globally would serve as a key opportunity to correct what he described as a Japan-centered and distorted account of Korean history. “Just as the U.S. Declaration of Independence is known worldwide as a symbol of freedom, our March 1 Proclamation must also take its place in world history as a message of peace and human dignity,” he said.
■ From pop culture to “spiritual culture”: Expanding the Korean Wave
VANK believes that the current Korean Wave, largely centered on dramas, films and music, will gain greater longevity when combined with the spirit of Korea’s independence movement.
In 1919, some 2 million people—about 10 percent of the population at the time—took to the streets to proclaim messages of “independence” and “peace,” values that remain universal and should be shared by the global community today.
“Even in the darkness after the nation lost its sovereignty in 1910, the Korean people’s will for independence never stopped,” VANK said. “Through this campaign, we hope that Hallyu fans around the world will come to understand not only Korea’s dazzling exterior, but also the strong spirit of independence and longing for peace that run beneath it.”