Boseongsa Printing Press Site

About this place

Boseongsa was a Cheondogyo-affiliated printing house formed in late 1910 by merging Changsinsa and the Boseong Academy printing house. It was the place where 20,000 copies of the Declaration of Independence were printed simultaneously during the March 1st Movement. On the night of February 27, 1919, press president Yi Jong-il, factory supervisor Kim Hong-gyu, and secretary Jang Hyo-geun printed 35,000 copies of the Declaration here and transported them. The Declaration, drafted by Choe Nam-seon and signed by the 33 Representatives of the Nation, was smuggled past Japanese detectives disguised as genealogy books. On March 1st, 10,000 copies of the underground newspaper 'Joseon Independence News' were printed here. Japanese police immediately closed Boseongsa and burned it down on June 28, 1919. Today only the site remains, within the grounds of Jogyesa Temple.