Gwangju Student Independence Movement

Protests that began in Gwangju after a clash between Korean and Japanese students spread nationwide, the largest national movement since March First.

On 30 October 1929 Japanese students harassed Korean schoolgirls at Naju station and the two sides fought, but the police protected only the Japanese. On 3 November students in Gwangju marched under slogans such as "Abolish slave education" and "Long live Korean independence", led by secret student circles such as the Seongjinhoe and reading groups.

The Singanhoe sent investigators and planned a mass rally in support. By the next spring the protests had spread to 194 schools across Korea and Manchuria, involving some 54,000 students.