Korea Independence Movement Day, or the March 1st Movement [Samiljeol (삼일 운동)] first occurred on March 1, 1919, and was one of the earliest recorded public displays of Korean resistance to Japan’s colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Celebrated as a holiday today, this day was a pivotal turning point in Korean history. Origin…
What is Gwangbokjeol? August 15 isthe National Liberation Day of Korea and is a very important public holiday in Korea. This day is called Gwangbokjeol in Korean and literally translated, it means “Restoration of Light Day”. Gwangbokjeol celebrates the victory over Japan which liberated Korea from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule on August 15,…
There was a funny scene in an episode of the hit Korean Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience, where the father asks his daughter’s date when the Korean War started, just to test the suitor’s Korean-ness and make sure he is worthy of a date with his daughter. Passing a test like this may not be a…
Celebrate Asian American Heritage Month by learning Korean American history. This webinar is facilitated by author, educator, and speaker, Dr. Stephanie Han, and brought to you by the Council of Korean Americans and the Chinese American Heritage Foundation. Watch Part 1 of Learning How Korean Americans Shaped History: Watch Part 2 of “How Korean Americans…
The saga of King Sukjong, Queen Inhyeon, and Concubine Jang Hee Bin (sometimes spelled Hui-bin) is one of the most famous episodes in the 500-year-long history of the Joseon dynasty. Filled with palace intrigue and passionate love affairs, the story of the 19th king of Joseon, his virtuous queen, and one of the most infamous…
In theory, anyone who could pass state examinations had a chance of advancing their station in life. Education is a big deal in Korea. Korean students are known to spend endless hours outside the classroom in tuition centers, supplementing their normal curriculum with extra-curriculars and test preparations. It’s not uncommon for many Korean students to…
August 15 is a very important holiday and historic day for Koreans known as 광복절 (Gwangbokjeol, literally meaning “the day the light returned”). This holiday celebrates the day that the Republic of Korea was established after South Korea was liberated from its occupation from the Japanese colonial rule. Today, we hang Korean flags outside buildings…
70 years ago today, on June 25, 1950, our destiny as Korean Americans began to take form. On that day, the so-called Forgotten War for the soul of Korea commenced when communists from the North flooded the South in their bid to unify under Kim Il Sung’s rule. My first consciousness of its impact was…
This article is in response to Woody Paik’s original op-ed piece called What The US Can Learn About Education from Korea’s Wartime Example. Reading Woody Paik’s article took me to my old days of exactly 70 years ago, which otherwise might be dumped forever from my memory warehouse deep in my brain. The black and white…
“Unbeknownst to Kim himself, he accomplished the considerable feat of making Korean genre painting widely known around the world,” When the ports of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) opened to the rest of the world in the late 19th century, travelers, diplomats, missionaries and merchants flooded in, all curious to find out more about the life…