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A preparatory committee was launched on Tuesday to decide how to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Korea, which falls on Aug. 15, 2008. Around 40 figures from various areas of Korean society said they seek to set the historical significance of the establishment of South Korea, honor the achievement of those who contributed to its founding and pledge to pursue further development.
On Aug. 15, 1945, the Korean peninsula emerged from 35 years of forced occupation by Imperial Japan. Three years later, on Aug. 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea was established in the south and the Democratic People¡¯s Republic of Korea in the north. After five thousand years of history, two separate governments with two different ideologies were formed on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea had an ample number of factories and power plants built by the Japanese occupying forces, as well as natural resources. South Korea had only farmland.
Sixty years have passed since then. Now on the Korean Peninsula the south is home to a model nation under global focus for its economic development and the establishment of a free democracy. The north is home to a rogue nation facing global criticism for developing nuclear weapons, while its people suffer in poverty. North Korea has become dependent on South Korea¡¯s economic assistance. This is the result of the differences in views held by the political leaders of the two countries when they chose to side with either the U.S. or the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Yet we are not aware of the true importance of the establishment of our nation. North Korea commemorates Sept. 9, its foundation day, as a national holiday. But in South Korea the significance of the nation's establishment on Aug. 15 is overshadowed by Independence Day. According to a Chosun Ilbo poll in August, only 32 percent of South Koreans knew when their country¡¯s foundation day was. In his inaugural address, President Roh Moo-hyun claimed that our nation¡¯s past was marked by the defeat of righteous forces, while opportunism ruled. Certain people belittle the significance of the establishment of the Republic of Korea due to the fact that the Korean Peninsula remains divided. The 60th anniversary next year should be a chance to wash away these negative perceptions.
But a true commemoration of the 60th anniversary must not end with just a one-time ceremony. Our children are still reading texts that incorrectly describe the history of South Korea. There is a shortage of textbooks that can teach them the blood, sweat and tears their predecessors shed to create this nation. We desperately need to educate our children of the proper understanding of our past. We must put all of our efforts to ensure that the meaning of the 60th anniversary transcends a one-time celebration and ends up having a long-lasting impact.
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