USAG YONGSAN - Children's Day in South Korea dates history back to 1923 to a man named Bang Jeong Hwan. Bang is known as the father of children's literature in South Korea and played a role in the designation of May 1 as Children's Day in 1923. The day was later changed to May 5 as May 1 overlapped with Labor Day. The Korean word "eorini," which means children in Korean, was first used when Bang named his children's literary magazine "eorini." Bang realized how the economic difficulties of life could affect children and corrupt their innocence. His magazine was composed of songs, original stories and plays. The content was rich with lessons reinforcing the view that goodwill ultimately triumphs over evil, and people should seek to restore the purity of childhood.
Bang's efforts greatly publicized and promoted the social status of children and encouraged adults to teach awareness of their deprived sovereignty. The day symbolizes the country's promise to instill in children a sense of independence and national pride. It highlights the dignity of children and their need for love, care and respect. Today, the day also honors adults who have contributed to improving the lives of children.
Free admission to children at museums, zoos, amusement parks, movie theaters and a variety of parades are common trends on Children's Day. "For me, Children's Day was like another birthday when I was much younger," said Pfc. Jeong Gwang Min. "On that particular day, everything revolved around me. My family would do what I want, eat what I want, go where I want and simply make it a special day for me."
"Yut" is one of the many cultural amusement activities in Korea that children enjoy. Yut acts as a dice, and players compete to reach the end point of the yut game board. Taekwondo demonstrations are also very common. The martial art is a form of defense which originated in Korea more than 2,000 years ago, and demonstrations show the strength of the children as well as their patriotism.
After Korea's independence from Japan in 1945, there was a revival in the movement to recognize children, and a law was passed in 1961 that officially designated May 5 as Children's Day. The Korean official holiday came to pass in 1970.
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