An English translation of Korea’s February 8 Declaration of Independence has been discovered.

Choi Jong-ko, a professor emeritus at Seoul National University, said Wednesday that the English text of the 1919 declaration, which he acquired through the Independence Hall of Korea, is presumed to have been translated by Chunwon Lee Kwang-su, a Korean writer during the Japanese colonial era.

Dr. Lee Myung-hwa at the Independence Hall said that it requires further research to determine the translator, but it is the first time an English translation of the declaration text was found.

Korean college students in Japan declared Korea’s independence on February 8, 1919 in Tokyo, which sparked the March 1 Independence Movement in Korea.