Editing March First Movement (section)

== Organization ==
In late 1918, leaders of the native Korean religion [[Cheondoism]], including {{Ill|Kwŏn Tongjin|ko|권동진}}, [[O Se-chang]], and [[Son Byong-hi]], reached a consensus that [[nonviolent resistance]] and turning international public opinion against Japan would be effective in advocating for Korea's independence. They also agreed that they needed assistance from other major groups in Korea.{{Sfn|Wells|1989|p=14}}{{Sfn|Ra|2003|pp=173–176}}<ref name="EncyKorea Movement" />

They dispatched representatives to negotiate and secure the cooperation of major politicians and groups in Korea. Some negotiations were strained and took months; they became so disheartened by these setbacks that they reportedly even considered abandoning their plan.<ref name="EncyKorea Movement" />{{Sfn|Ra|2003|pp=176–177}} However, the events of January and February 1919 caused a spike in pro-independence activism; around this time, they were able to quickly secure a number of significant alliances.<ref name="EncyKorea Movement" /> They found that some groups had already been independently planning protests. For example, Presbyterian leaders in Pyongyang reportedly had a plan to protest in the last week of January; these efforts were merged into the Cheondoist ones. They secured alliances from major Christian and Buddhist groups, as well as from several student organizations. They gained the support of several former government officials from the [[Korean Empire]], although they were rebuffed by [[Joseon]]-era politicians [[Park Yung-hyo]] and [[Han Kyu-seol|Han Kyu-sŏl]].{{Sfn|Ra|2003|pp=|p=177–178}}
[[File:Gojong funeral 2 sub05 04.jpg|thumb|203x203px|Gojong's funeral procession (March 1, 1919)]]
They decided to schedule their protest for March 1, the day of Gojong's public funeral, in order to capitalize on the significant number of people congregating in Seoul.{{Sfn|Manela|2007|p=132}}{{Sfn|Wells|1989|p=7}}
[[File:The Proclamation of Korean Independence.jpg|thumb|236x236px|A copy of the Korean Declaration of Independence]]
From February 25 to 27, {{Ill|Signers of the Korean Declaration of Independence|lt=thirty-three representatives|ko|민족대표 33인}} from these various groups held a series of secret meetings in Seoul, during which they signed the [[Korean Declaration of Independence]].<ref name="EncyKorea Movement" />{{Sfn|Ra|2003|pp=|p=177–178}} From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on February 27, they printed 21,000 copies of the declaration at the printing facilities of {{Ill|Posŏngsa|ko|보성사}}, a publisher affiliated with Cheondoism. On the morning of the 28th, they distributed these copies around the peninsula. They also coordinated the distribution of copies to members of the Korean diaspora, to U.S. President Wilson, and to participants in the Paris Peace Conference.<ref name="EncyKorea Movement" /> That day, they held a final meeting at Son Byong-hi's house and reviewed their plans for the protests.{{Sfn|Ra|2003|pp=|p=179}}

They initially planned to start the protest by inviting thousands of observers to [[Tapgol Park]] in Seoul. However, they worried that if they were prominently arrested, angered Korean observers could possibly violently retaliate against authorities. In the interest of maintaining the non-violence of the protests, they decided to change the starting location to the less-visible restaurant {{Ill|T'aehwagwan|ko|태화관}} in [[Insa-dong]].{{Sfn|Ra|2003|pp=179–180|p=}}<ref name="EncyKorea Movement" />

=== Role of foreigners in planning the protests ===
Foreigners also played a role in the planning of the protests. In mid-February, [[Robert Grierson (missionary)|Robert Grierson]] allowed secret meetings about the protests to be conducted in his house in [[Kimchaek|Sŏngjin]]. Protests in Sŏngjin went on to become the first in [[North Hamgyong Province]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=성 |first=동기 |date=2019-08-31 |script-title=ko:구례선 목사 사택서 시작된 '독립열망'… 日帝 도끼-총으로 탄압 |url=https://www.donga.com/news/Culture/article/all/20190830/97200793/1 |access-date=2022-01-01 |website=[[The Dong-A Ilbo]] |language=ko |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621093649/https://www.donga.com/news/Culture/article/all/20190830/97200793/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> On February 28th, Canadian missionary [[Frank Schofield]] was asked to document the protests.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=이 |first=국희 |date=2023-01-31 |script-title=ko:선교사열전 ㉙ 3·1운동의 34번째 민족대표 캐나다 프랭크 윌리엄 스코필드 선교사〔Frank William Schofield: 석호필(石虎弼) 1889~1970〕 |url=http://www.kosinnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=27238 |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=고신뉴스 KNC |language=ko}}</ref><ref name="CVJ2" /> Schofield's publicization of the protests proved so significant in influencing global public opinion, that he has since been described as the "Thirty-fourth Representative" ({{Korean|hangul=민족대표 34인|labels=no}}), effectively equating his significance to that of the signers of the declaration.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=김 |first1=진흥 |last2=박 |first2=미선 |date=February 28, 2019 |script-title=ko:우리가 몰랐던 '34번째 민족대표' 이야기 |url=https://mediahub.seoul.go.kr/archives/1212924 |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=mediahub.seoul.go.kr |publisher=[[Seoul Metropolitan Government]] |language=ko |archive-date=May 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507023339/https://mediahub.seoul.go.kr/archives/1212924 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Schofield Lecture">{{cite web |title=Department History: Dr. Frank Schofield |url=http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/path/schofield/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925181747/http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/path/schofield/ |archivedate=25 September 2009 |accessdate=12 November 2017 |website=ovc.uoguelph.ca |publisher=[[Ontario Veterinary College]], [[University of Guelph]]}}</ref><ref name=":0" />