This is a photo taken last year at an annual ceremony in Tokyo for Korea's Declaration of Independence. (Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)

By Lee Jihae

A ceremony commemorating the 106th anniversary of the Feb. 8 Declaration of Independence is slated for Feb. 8 in Tokyo.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in Seoul on Feb. 6 said the event will be held at Korean Culture Hall of YMCA Japan in the Japanese capital.

Some 250 people are expected to attend the ceremony including Deputy Minister of Patriots and Veterans Culture Policy Oh Jin-young and Lee Jong-chan, head of the organization Heritage of Korean Independence.

The declaration was announced on Feb. 8, 1919, by some 600 Korean students in downtown Tokyo who expressed their intent to fight for their country's independence and resist Japanese rule. Seventeen of them were arrested.

This was the trigger that ignited the March First Independence Movement in Korea and led to the launch of the Korean Provisional Government.

The annual ceremony in Tokyo reflects on the historical significance of the declaration.

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Jung-ai said, "This year marks the 80th anniversary of national liberation, which is what the patriotic martyrs of the Feb. 8 declaration sought so desperately. We will do our best to ensure that the public remembers and passes on the independence movement's history and achieves national unity."

jihlee08@korea.kr