J5

THE &E13ISIS OF THL KOi-iBAK iMBEPSHDiaJT .iOViiiSNT.

Uoaawhile a series of happenings combined to precipitate a crisis
in Korea. The first of these was the Peace Conferenca aad ■the dissemin¬
ation of the doctrine of self detersilnation of races. The follxrwing
story was told to a representative group of missionaries by the Ifiaister
of Internal Affairs of" the Bovernment General of Chosen. He stated that
the government had information that a Korean had interviewed president
Wilson before he left for Paris, and asked the President if he would
bring up the (question of Eorea at the Conference. The President replied
it is alleged, that the conference could only doal with countries which
were affected by the Har, and that the question of a country at peace aa
Korea was could not be properly raised. The interviewerethen asked if
it could be unmistakably shown -that the Koreans were dissatisfied would
the case of Korea thea be discussed at the Peace Confercace? To v;hich
the President is reported to havo said that in that case it might be.
According to information from other sourc-es, it seems that this is quite
a likely story. There are many Koreans in the Westcxa States, in Hawaii,
Siberia and China, aad thru out all these centers of Korean population
the movement for independence rapidly spread.

The proceodiags at the Peace Conference formed another link in the
ohaia of events. The League of Hations, the gospel of the right of small
nations of self determination, the reviving of oppressed nations set free
by the Wax,   all fired the imagination of the educated Koreans.

Then, aa event nearer home occured to bring out national feeling.
On January 20th, the ex-Emperor of Korea died, just on tho eve of the
marriage of his son th a Japanese Princess. It ?ms officially reported
that the ex-73mperor's death was due to apo|)lexy. But rumors got into
circulation that his death was due to either suicide or poisoning. Ife
was claimed that he had refused to sign a paper which stated that the
Koreans were conteated under Japanese rule aad was made away with because
he had refused to do so.  It has been officially denied that any such
paper was ever presented to the ax-ruler. The news of the ex-Emperors
death was suppressed for several days.

Arrangements wero made for the funeral. The Diet at Tokyo adjourned
out of respect, after voting Yen 100,000 towards the funeral expendea.
The contort of the ex-Emperor, who had been assassinated ia 1804, was
"buried not far out of the East Gate of Seoul. It had beoa decided that
the king should be buried about kxk seventeen miles from the city, and in
accordaace with Korean custome it was necessary to bury the queen by his
side. Consequently, the body of the queen was disintered, and on Feb.
12th the reburial cerimonies were begun and carried thru with great pomp,
all of the expenses being borne by the Koreans. These eveats brough-r
back to tha Koreaas in a poigant way the i-emem"nBa!aoe of their national
humiliation. March 3rd was set for the date for the ex-Emperor's fuaeral
aad it had beea arranged that the ceremonies iaside the city ahould be
Japanese aad outside Korean. Needless to say the arrangements for the
Japanese part of the ceremony were not made with the hearty coacurrenoe
of the Koreans.

DBMOHSTHATIOHS BEGIN.

Tho atmosphere v/as becoming iatense. Evidently the authorities had
sua. inkling that something was brewing, for tho principals of schools
were oallSd before the prefect at the City Hall, and told to warn their
students not to be led away by the action of the Korean students in Jap¬
an.  It should be stated here that during February the Korean students
who were attending the various colleges in Japan had started a movement
for the self determination of Korea, and had been imprisoned extensively.

On Saturday, March 1st, notices were posted on the streets that pu\»-