I’m proud to say that the first place in Samirundong Street is so intimately connected to my life.

You are heading to Choongang High School, which went by the name of Choongang School at the time. The name changed to Choongang High & General School, then Choongang Middle School. It only became known as Choongang High School after the liberation of Korea.

If the school is not in session, you can head to the Base for the March First Independence Movement inside the school. It is a recreation of the old night-duty room where I used to hang out with Hyeon Sangyun, who was my senior in school. They named it the ‘base’. It’s a significant word, perhaps a tad too grandiose, but in some ways, this is indeed the place where everything started.

After I returned from Japan, I went to meet Hyeon Sangyun, who was working as a teacher at Choongang School. He was also my senior at Waseda University.

Our meeting had to be a secret, so I had to meet Hyeon Sangyun at the night-duty room of at Choongang School. It’s where I pressed him to act by saying, “Look, our juniors are preparing for the Independence Movement in Tokyo at this very moment. What are you and other teachers going to do about it?”

Then, I pulled out the draft of the Korean Declaration of Independence from my hat, written on a piece of silk. He was very surprised, and took the news to Song Jinwoo, then the principal of the Choongang School, saying that he was in no position to make any decisions on this matter.

Song Jinwoo likewise recognized the severity of the matter, and relayed the news to Choi Lin, principal of Posung School. I myself was wondering if I should go and meet Choi Lin, for I had studied under Choi Lin back when I was attending Posung Middle School. I was not named as a leader of the movement because Choi Lin had specifically asked those involved in the movement not to mention my name. As a result, those who were involved in the movement didn’t mention my name even after they were captured and interrogated by the Japanese police. I am really thankful for that.

Choi Lin was the most well-connected man at that time. He was also an important member of Cheondoism. I heard later that Choi Lin, Kwon Dongjin, and Oh Sechang were already talking about the Independence Movement even before I brought the news to them. If that was the case, I can’t really say that I played a significant role here, but it does seem to be the case that my actions were one of the many others that spurred the action on.

It is said that Cheondoism, the biggest and the most organized group at that time, had made the decision to head the Independence Movement on or around January 20. It was when I was still in Korea. It seems that Choi Lin, Oh Sechang, and Kwon Dongjin had gone to the leader of Cheondoism, Son Byeonghui, to ask for his permission. It was a very significant event, because it meant the members of Cheondoism would rise up once again for the nation, just as they had in the Donghak Peasant Revolution of 1894. I’ll get into more details about the involvement Cheondoism in the March First Independence Movement once we visit the Central Temple of Cheondogyo later. We will now head to our next stop. I’m looking forward to telling you more special stories of the March First Independence Movement once we are there.

The next place we will be heading to is the site of Yusimsa, the Buddhist magazine publisher at that time. Head down the road from Chungang High School, and you will find a small signboard next to the alley to the left.