By Choe Chong-dae
"There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and that they grow up in peace."
(Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations)
The year 2022 marks the centennial of the proclamation of Korea's Children Day.
It is difficult to consider the affection Koreans have for their children without thinking of Bang Jeong-hwan (pen name Sopa, 1899-1931). Bang is the pioneer of the Children's Welfare Movement in Korea, evidenced by the fact that he devoted his live to safeguarding the welfare of children at a time when the remnants of Joseon society treated them as workers or property rather than as independent members of society to be protected.
Guided by the Korean word "eo-reun," meaning "adult," Bang created the term "eorin-i" (child) to encourage people to consider each child as an independent person to be treated with dignity, love, care and respect. Bang's aim was to develop a movement that valued children, their lives and their dreams, as they are the future of the country. The first event commemorating children was held on May 1, 1922, at Cheondogyo headquarters in Seoul. A great number of people who advocated for children's rights and welfare throughout Korea gathered there on that day. They proclaimed a Children's Declaration document in support of children's rights and to cultivate nationalism based upon the spirit of independence.
Bang Jeong-hwan played a pioneering role in leading this event as a way to instill in children with a sense of independence and national pride during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial period. Korea's first Children's Day was observed on May 1, 1923, at the same place. It was later adjusted to May 5 in order not to coincide with International Labor Day, so that more people could participate.
To commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Bang Jeong-hwan, his biography was published and a celebration for the publication was held in February 1998 at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.
To my surprise, former President Kim Dae-jung, then the president-elect, attended the event and made a congratulatory speech on the publication of Bang's biography. Kim's laudatory speech convinced me that Bang's devotion to the Children's Welfare Movement during the Japanese colonial period greatly contributed to advancing the nation's independence and to the establishment of the Republic of Korea.
Bang was convinced that an investment in children was an investment in the nation's future. He had suffered considerable hardships in his own childhood which later shaped his resolve to promote children's welfare. Bang's Children's Welfare Movement was greatly influenced by Son Byong-hi, who led the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 against Japanese colonial rule. Son was the third great leader of Donghak (Eastern Learning), a philosophy, religion and movement that later gave birth to Cheondogyo, another of Korea's early modern native religions.
Originally, the Children's Welfare Movement stemmed from the humanistic egalitarianism of Donghak, as this movement is said to have taught its followers to "treat all humans as you would if in heaven and do not beat children. To beat children is the same as beating someone in heaven." While working for the children's welfare movement through the Cheondogyo organization, Bang married Son Yong-hwa, the daughter of Son Byong-hi. Bang campaigned for the use of the honorific forms for children, an enlightened attitude indeed, given the strongly Confucian, patriarchal nature of society at that time. Even though Bang passed away at an early age, his achievements greatly promoted and protected the lives of Korea's children. Bang's Children's Welfare Movement has certainly had a profound impact on myself and many generations of Koreans, and should serve as a roadmap showing how we should treat and educate our children.
Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.
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(Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations)
The year 2022 marks the centennial of the proclamation of Korea's Children Day.
It is difficult to consider the affection Koreans have for their children without thinking of Bang Jeong-hwan (pen name Sopa, 1899-1931). Bang is the pioneer of the Children's Welfare Movement in Korea, evidenced by the fact that he devoted his live to safeguarding the welfare of children at a time when the remnants of Joseon society treated them as workers or property rather than as independent members of society to be protected.
Guided by the Korean word "eo-reun," meaning "adult," Bang created the term "eorin-i" (child) to encourage people to consider each child as an independent person to be treated with dignity, love, care and respect. Bang's aim was to develop a movement that valued children, their lives and their dreams, as they are the future of the country. The first event commemorating children was held on May 1, 1922, at Cheondogyo headquarters in Seoul. A great number of people who advocated for children's rights and welfare throughout Korea gathered there on that day. They proclaimed a Children's Declaration document in support of children's rights and to cultivate nationalism based upon the spirit of independence.
Bang Jeong-hwan played a pioneering role in leading this event as a way to instill in children with a sense of independence and national pride during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial period. Korea's first Children's Day was observed on May 1, 1923, at the same place. It was later adjusted to May 5 in order not to coincide with International Labor Day, so that more people could participate.
To commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Bang Jeong-hwan, his biography was published and a celebration for the publication was held in February 1998 at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.
To my surprise, former President Kim Dae-jung, then the president-elect, attended the event and made a congratulatory speech on the publication of Bang's biography. Kim's laudatory speech convinced me that Bang's devotion to the Children's Welfare Movement during the Japanese colonial period greatly contributed to advancing the nation's independence and to the establishment of the Republic of Korea.
Bang was convinced that an investment in children was an investment in the nation's future. He had suffered considerable hardships in his own childhood which later shaped his resolve to promote children's welfare. Bang's Children's Welfare Movement was greatly influenced by Son Byong-hi, who led the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 against Japanese colonial rule. Son was the third great leader of Donghak (Eastern Learning), a philosophy, religion and movement that later gave birth to Cheondogyo, another of Korea's early modern native religions.
Originally, the Children's Welfare Movement stemmed from the humanistic egalitarianism of Donghak, as this movement is said to have taught its followers to "treat all humans as you would if in heaven and do not beat children. To beat children is the same as beating someone in heaven." While working for the children's welfare movement through the Cheondogyo organization, Bang married Son Yong-hwa, the daughter of Son Byong-hi. Bang campaigned for the use of the honorific forms for children, an enlightened attitude indeed, given the strongly Confucian, patriarchal nature of society at that time. Even though Bang passed away at an early age, his achievements greatly promoted and protected the lives of Korea's children. Bang's Children's Welfare Movement has certainly had a profound impact on myself and many generations of Koreans, and should serve as a roadmap showing how we should treat and educate our children.
Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.
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