South Korea Independence Movement day

South Koreans carry torches and national flags as they march through the city of Cheonan, the city where martyr Yu Gwan-sun was born, to celebrate the March 1st Independence Movement.

The movement began on March 1st 1919, when South Koreans stood up to Japanese colonial rule and proclaimed independence. The movement spread nationwide but was met with brutality by Japanese authorities with thousands killed and arrested.

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a speech at the Memorial Hall of Yu Gwan-sun, named after the national hero who died after taking an active part in the movement for independence from Japan’s colonial rule, to commemorate the March 1st Movement.

Yoon said in his speech that Japan was no longer the aggressor it was but now a key partner, especially when it comes to defence against North Korea's nuclear threat.

"Now, more than a century after the March 1 Independence Movement, Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares universal values with us," Yoon said during a ceremony to commemorate the peaceful protest that took place in 1919 to resist Japan's colonial rule.

Since Yoon took office in May last year, he has been making efforts to mend ties between the two countries, holding multiple summits with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.