Question

Read an excerpt from an informational document.

We hereby declare that Korea is an independent state, and that Koreans are self-governing people. We proclaim it to the nations of the world in affirmation of the principle of the equality of all the nations, and we proclaim it to our posterity, preserving in perpetuity the right of national survival. We make this declaration on the strength of five thousand years of history as an expression of the devotion and loyalty of twenty million people.

Which thesis do these details best support?

Japanese and Korean people had become close, so they united as a single nation.
Japan felt that Korea should be a free state, so they granted them independence.
Korea had developed a strong economy, so they wanted more power in Japan’s government.
Koreans were treated so poorly by the Japanese that they announced themselves a free country.

Answer 1

Koreans were treated so poorly by the Japanese that they announced themselves a free country.

Explanation: The excerpt is a declaration asserting Korea's independence and right to self-government and national survival, which best supports the conclusion that Koreans were compelled to proclaim freedom from Japanese control.