Memorial Day or Hyunchungil () is a South Korean public holiday on the sixth day of June by article 2, subparagraph 8. of 'Regulations On Holidays Of Government Offices' that commemorates all the Koreans who have contributed or died while serving the Republic of Korea.

Background

On this day, a memorial ceremony is held in

Seoul National Cemetery The Seoul National Cemetery () is located in Dongjak-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The cemetery is reserved for Korean veterans, including those who died in the Korean independence movement, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Four South Kore ...

, first started in 1956. At 10 a.m. on Memorial Day, a siren rings all over the country, and people have silent prayers for one minute. The South Korean flag is flown at

half-staff Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salu ...

. Usually,

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

, Speaker of the National Assembly,

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea () is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea. As presiding judge of Grand bench composed of two-thirds of fourteen Supreme Court Justices, the Chief represents the Supreme Court of Korea ...

President of the Constitutional Court of Korea The President of the Constitutional Court of Korea () is the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Korea. As presiding judge of Full bench composed of nine Justices, the President represents the Constitutional Court of Korea. The Presi ...

, and Chairperson of National Election Commission join this Memorial Day as heads of highest

constitutional institution A constitutional institution, constitutional body or constitutional organ is a government institution created by a constitution. As these institutions derives its powers, duties and responsibilities directly from the constitution, which is harder t ...

in South Korea. In every year this annual day of 10 a.m., they give a silent prayer and remember the

Righteous army Righteous armies, sometimes called irregular armies or militias, are informal civilian militias that have appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged during th ...

Korean Liberation Army The Korean Liberation Army, also known as the Korean Restoration Army established on September 17, 1940, in Chungking, China, was the armed force of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Its commandant was General Ji Cheong-cheon, ...

and Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

Celebration

On Sunday 7 June 2020, President of South Korea

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (; ; born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean former politician, civil servant and lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea between 2017 and 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs an ...

celebrated the 100th anniversary of victorious day in Battle of Bongoh Town and announced "This battle was first of greatest victory for Korean Independent Army". Also, he announced the "Greatest leader of Korean Independent Army Hong Beom-do's remains stay in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. So, I will do this hero's remains return to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

and will promise to make the most honorable man in South Korea for Hong Beom-do".

References

{{holiday-stub June observances South Korean culture Public holidays in South Korea Observances honoring victims of war Summer events in South Korea