The inspiration for the Samil Movement came from the repressive nature of Japanese policies under its military administration of Korea following 1905, and the Fourteen Points outlining the right of national "self-determination" proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919. After hearing news of Wilson’s speech, Korean students studying in Tokyo published a statement demanding Korean independence. They then telephoned the central police station to inform them of their actions and were arrested afterwards.