UCLA Hanoolim Samil Day

Hello! We are Hanoolim KCAG, the premier Korean Cultural Awareness Group here at UCLA. We are hosting an event on March 1st in observance of Samil Day (삼일절), a national holiday in Korea commemorating a day in which Koreans openly resisted the occupation by the Empire of Japan and fought for their independence. Samil Day first began on March 1, 1919, making this year its centennial ceremony, so we are hosting a three-day event to honor its 100th celebration (2/27-3/1).

History of Samil Day:
On March 1, 1919,  a series of demonstrations took place across Korea rallying for independence from Japanese occupation. Japan proclaimed its annexation of Korea in 1910, fully occupying the country, after having had a presence on the peninsula for years before that. Koreans took to the streets, marching and shouting “만세!”, which means “long live Korea” or “may Korea live 10,000 years.” The Japanese government worked to suppress the movement, fully containing it 12 months later. But before it was put down, approximately 2 million Koreans had participated in more than 1,500 demonstrations.

The day is generally commemorated in Korea by flying the flag, and recently, re-enactments of the day have been starting to take place.

Hanoolim will be paying tribute to Samil Day  by hosting an event that spans from February 27th (Wednesday) to March 1st (Friday).  

Day 1, Wednesday:
On Wednesday, grandson of Korean independence activist (Dosan Ahn Chang Ho), Philip "Flip"  Ahn Cuddy, son of Chu Yo Han and highly accomplished nuclear medical physicist in cancer research, Dr. William Chu, and a relative of Yu Gwan Su - dubbed as the Joan of Arc of Korea for leading the March First movement - and accomplished artist and muralist, Dave Young Kim, will be holding a speaker panel discussing the history and and significance of Samil where attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the movement.

Day 2, Thursday:
On the following day, Thursday, we will be a screening "Age of Shadows," (밀정) directed by Kim Jee-woon (김지운). 밀정 was selected as the South Korean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards and won the Best Picture award in the Action Features category at the 2016 Fantastic Fest. The film, though not historically accurate, is a dramatic retelling of  band of Korean resistance fighters attempting to smuggle explosives to destroy facilities controlled by Japanese forces. The film stars Lee Byung-Hun and Gong Yoo.

Day 3, Friday:
To close the 3-day event, there will be a festival on March 1st, Friday, from 11am-3pm at Bruin Plaza. We will have interactive booths that will provide information on the history of Japanese colonialism in Korea, different types of Independence activists in Korea, and the impact of the movement in Los Angeles and Koreatown. Along with that, there will be performances that demonstrate the many sides of traditional Korean musical production, such as our Poongmul team (traditional drumming) and Talchum team (traditional mask dancing). At the end, a reenactment through the means of a march will be held throughout UCLA campus. Food will also be provided for attendees.


As a student-run organization that relies heavily on external funding sources, we are also seeking resources through sponsorships, grants, and fundraisers. While we are actively reaching out to many funding opportunities, we are using this GoFundMe to receive the support of the general public. Any amount that you are able to donate can help us fund this event! If you are not able to provide funds, we are also looking for volunteers to assist us in running the festival on the day of! Sign up through our Google Doc form here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKFY71qK-UOzMBE0Aq1G4BtK1fLxquGkNN8WoKXVS0bnO57A/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1cXFmpDixtjz8sVodiizA1XPaDbWs6Sc1Wo1Vel-yO9csbcnO6loS07PE


Please share our campaign and help spread our event to as many people as possible! We believe that this is an important opportunity to educate people on the history of Korea along with its cultural significance in our modern society. Thank you for reading this and making our Samil Day event possible!