Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of August 15, 2012
Gwangbokjeol ("Restoration of
Light Day") or Independence Day in South Korea
So August 15th is The Republic of Korea’s
Independence day – an important holiday in any country that has gotten away from
another (and often more powerful) country to determine its own destiny. It is certainly one of the biggest holidays
in my home country of the USA and South Korea is no different, even if the
celebrations are a bit quieter.
However, while I am pretty familiar with the USA’s story of
independence, I confess I didn’t really know much about Korea’s story. So I did a little Wiki-research and thought I
would share it with you.
The Korean culture is ancient with the earliest artifacts
dating back to 8000 B.C. The earliest
complex social constructs here date back to 1500 B.C. So a long, rich history. However, the events that lead to independence
are much, much more recent. Fast-forward
3500 years or so.
Japan, a nearby neighbor to Korea, annexed Korea in 1910 and
worked pretty hard to wipe out the Korean culture for the next 35 years or
so. There was ongoing Korean resistance
to the Japanese throughout this period and into WWII. This resistance came in the form of armed
resistance by former military personnel; religious resistance by Korean
Confucianists and imported Christian missionaries; and political resistance
from expatriates abroad.
Hopefully, most of you recall some of the basics of WWII
from high school history, but if not, the Japanese called for an armistice on
August 14th USA time (August 15th Korean time). Korea, as part of the surrender, was split in
two with the USA controlling the area south of the 38th parallel,
and the Soviet Union controlling the area north of the 38th
parallel. This was supposed to be a
temporary set up until the specifics of reunification could be worked out. But, the best laid plans…
The Cold War heated up and the hopes for a reunified Korea
evaporated and two separate (and very different) countries were established on
the Korean peninsula. On December 12,
1948, the UN recognized The Republic of Korea (South Korea) as a sovereign
nation.
As you can imagine, there was much debate about when to
celebrate their independence from Japan, but the 15th of August was
settled on, so tomorrow most businesses are closed and people will spend time
with their families and enjoy the freedom and independence the day
represents.
Until next time.
Weaver
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