This year, June 6th was a Sunday. A lot of people were upset that it overlapped with the weekends because they could have rested for a day if it was on a weekday. People forget to remember, however, the reason why they could have taken a day off if it was on a weekday — June 6th of 2021 marks the 66th anniversary of the Korean Memorial Day. So what is it that makes this day so special?
The Korean Memorial Day or in Korean, “현충일” (Hyun-choong-il), is the day where we remember all of the soldiers who fought for the world we live in now. First started in 1956, the Korean Memorial Day was originally intended to commemorate the passed soldiers from the Korean War only. However, it was soon decided that the day should be dedicated to all soldiers who passed away at one point trying to fight for our country’s peace.
The reason that Memorial Day was chosen to be June 6th is quite interesting. Early June was known to be one of the best times of the year to harvest barley and plant wheat. Therefore, the dates in early June were considered to be auspicious. This is why from the Goryeo Dynasty to the Chosun Dynasty, deceased soldiers and generals were buried on June 6th and then celebrated in the subsequent years. In addition, the Korean War that started on June 25th had one of the most casualties ever caused on Korean soil, which was why the government in 1956 chose June 6th as Memorial Day — they are both in the same month.
What do we do on June 6th, then? In the past, it was very common for most homes to put up a Korean flag on this day to show their respect towards the soldiers. With higher apartments and accidents with the flag dropping on the streets by wind, however, it is now not as common as it used to be to hang up flags. What people still do is to remain silent for a minute at 10:00 am. Nationwide, a siren blares for a minute to notify people of this. Finally, many are advised to watch the events and celebrations that take places such as the presidential speech and the grave visits on television.
South Korea now has the 12th highest GDP in the world. It is now regarded as one of the strongest and most influential countries on Earth. The most surprising thing about this is that the country has been able to grow from numerous foreign regimes and wars. To grow this fast and get to this stage, it is impossible to leave out the soldiers who fought for this country and made sure that there was peace and prosperity. Enjoying the beautiful weather, peace, and all the privileges we have now, why not take a moment to think about those soldiers?
