1. Hook Opening

It is the evening of Sunday, October 10, 1926. Ten days ago, a silent film opened in a Seoul theater, and by every later account people wept and sang along. On the same day, the colonial government held a ceremony for its new headquarters in the grounds of an old royal palace. Today we look at those ten days. We could not find the day’s own newspapers, so we say plainly where our evidence ends.

2. Korea Under Colonial Rule

Arirang. Na Un-gyu wrote, directed and starred in the film, which opened at Dansungsa theater on October 1. It was the second production of Joseon Kinema Productions and is described as made entirely by Koreans. Later accounts say audiences cried and sang its theme song. Its original newspaper advertisements, reviews and ticket prices were not found.

The new headquarters. On October 1, the Government-General held a dedication ceremony for its new building inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, timed to the “Administration Anniversary.” Construction began in 1916. Offices moved in on January 4, 1926. Sources give the cost as about 6.75 to 7 million yen. Gwanghwamun, the palace’s main gate, was moved east. Heungnyemun gate was demolished.

Summer arrests after the June 10 protests continued to shape the year. Records say thousands were detained by the end of June, including nearly 150 communists. Kwon O-seol and 61 others were charged under the Peace Preservation Law. No trial or arrest report for October 10 itself was found.

3. East Asia in Turmoil

October 10 is China’s “Double Ten,” the 15th anniversary of the 1911 Wuchang Uprising. On this day the National Revolutionary Army captured Wuchang, where Wu Peifu’s remaining troops had held out for over a month. Hankou and Hanyang had fallen on September 6 and 7. The three cities were later merged as Wuhan. A Nanjing government delegation, including Sun Fo, was also in Hankou for talks, and a rift between rival centers was already visible.

4. The World Stage

At Yankee Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees 3–2 in Game 7 to win their first World Series, four games to three. In the seventh inning, with bases loaded and two out, 39-year-old Grover Cleveland Alexander came in from the bullpen and struck out rookie Tony Lazzeri. In the ninth, with two out, Babe Ruth walked and was then thrown out trying to steal second. Attendance is given as about 38,000. Because of the time difference, news reached Korea roughly a day later.

In Japan, Emperor Taishō was in poor health, with Crown Prince Hirohito serving as regent. The emperor died on December 25.

5. Colonial Parallels

Today’s sources do not cover other colonies, so this section is only a framing. Across Asia in the 1920s, nationalist movements met police power and press censorship under foreign rule. Korea’s own arrests under the Peace Preservation Law fit that pattern. The Chinese advance at Wuchang was a different case: a nationalist army pushing against warlords rather than a foreign power.

6. Person of the Day

Na Un-gyu (1902–1937) was the filmmaker behind Arirang. On the American side, the figure of the day is Alexander, who had won complete games in Games 2 and 6 and then came in on no rest. One man worked with a camera in a colony, the other with a baseball in a stadium. Both are remembered for a single moment that outlasted the day.

7. Understanding Daily Life

We found no reliable record of Seoul’s weather, prices or ticket costs for October 10. What we know is that it was a Sunday, that trams ran on the main streets inside the old city, and that Arirang was in its tenth day on screen. That people talked about the film in the street is an inference, not a documented fact.

8. Century Mirror

Korean cinema, K-pop and K-drama draw on the same wells of feeling that Arirang tapped. The government spent ten years on its building, and a century later it is the film that remains.

9. Tomorrow’s Preview

Tomorrow is Monday, October 11, 1926. Come back at 10:10 tomorrow, and we will keep reading the pages of a century ago.

Sources: National Archives of Korea thematic notes, Arirang release records, SABR and baseball references, English-language sources on Wuchang. Original newspaper pages for the day were not located.

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