The March 1st Movement was a series of protests against Japanese colonial rule that were held throughout Korea and internationally by the Korean diaspora beginning on March 1, 1919. In South Korea, the movement is remembered as a landmark event of not only the Korean independence movement, but of all of Korean history.

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (朝鮮), the Japanese reading of Joseon.