Hello, my name is Song Gyebaek, and I will be your guide to Samirundong Street. It is a great pleasure for me to guide you through this historic street. Those of you who are interested in the March First Independence Movement might have heard about me.

But then again, some of you might not have heard of me. That’s largely because the ones who have participated in the March First Independence Movement back home kept my name a secret even while they were being interrogated by the Japanese military police under harsh conditions.

I was the one who relayed the news of the Independence Movement of Korean students studying in Japan to those in Korea right before the March First Independence Movement took place. Even back then, older people tended to take their time before doing something of that magnitude because there are many things that need to be considered and thought through, but we were young, and young people don’t hesitate to do things that are important, especially when we have a cause.

I was a student at , Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. My fellow students and I believed that Woodrow Wilson’s concept of national self-determination would give strength to an oppressed nation like ours. Korean students studying in Tokyo quickly organized a temporary action committee, and I was one of its members.

We sent the draft of the Korean Declaration of Independence, written by Lee Gwangsu, to the embassies of many countries around the world. Furthermore, we delivered the news to prominent activists in Korea to urge them to action in the Independence Movement.

Having fulfilled my mission, I went back to Japan and took part in the Independence Movement in Tokyo on February 8. I was arrested and sent to prison in Japan for that. But I am proud of the fact that my actions helped to pass the torch of the Independence Movement to Korea.

Whenever I hear the passionate shouts on that day, I feel as if the March First Independence Movement is a miracle that I could never have foreseen. So, without further ado, I will guide you to the moments and places where that miracle took place.