JOY ELLEN YOON — Independence Day in Korea

Summer is drawing to a close. Already a cool breeze is sweeping through the air even though the mid-day sun still shines bright. In the northeast region of Korea, seasons seem to start shifting just after mid-August. At times, it feels like weather can change overnight.

Right in the middle of August, on the 15th, is Korea’s Independence Day. The holiday is celebrated in both the North and the South as it marks the day that Korea was liberated in 1945 from 35 years of Japanese occupation. It was a time of great celebration for the Korean people. They were finally able to reclaim their national autonomy, cultural heritage, and ethnic identity.

During the Japanese occupation, Koreans were forced to give up their Korean identity. Everyone was required to take a Japanese name and speak in Japanese. Formal teaching of the Korean alphabet was banned. Koreans were even required to bow down to Shinto shrines and pay homage to the Japanese emperor. In this way, Japan tried to assimilate the Korean people, wiping their cultural heritage off the face of the globe.

At the end of World War II when Korea was liberated from occupation, people rejoiced. Korea was free from cruel tyrannical rule, but more importantly Koreans won back the right to be their own people again. They reclaimed their Korean identity.

From my time in North Korea, I remember the August 15th holiday fondly. Set apart from other holidays in North Korea, Independence Day was an actual day off from work. There were fewer national events or ceremonies to attend compared to other holidays. Instead, workplaces and entire companies gathered together for a fun picnic day in the sun.

When we lived in the northeast free economic zone, celebrating Independence Day typically meant going to the beach. Entire families joined the whole company for a special cookout as kids enjoyed splashing in the waves. The beach was only about a 15-20-minute drive from town. As the region was on the coast, the city actually lay on the port, but to get to a beach suitable for swimming, we had to drive several kilometers over a dirt mountain road.

Upon arrival, meat was seared on a make-shift grill followed by karaoke-style singing and dancing . Since we were often not able to socialize outside of work hours, it was one of the few times that we could sit down and freely socialize with our local co-workers and employees. Here we met the children of our employees while enjoying a relaxing day of pure enjoyment.

Time in the water was followed by organized picnic games. Activities included tug-of-war and beach volleyball. Our own company would often be accompanied by countless other families and groups along the shoreline. With so many people out for the holiday, there was often no space left in the sand for others to join.

I remember spending the entire day at the beach on the 15th, and then on the following day it felt like summer was over. Although we could spend the previous day in the sun, it was common for us to get out our jackets the very next day.

Typhoons are common in Korea in August and September, and with these tropical storms come high velocity winds that can blow in a whole new season. Torrential downpours cooled the earth adding to a drop in air temperature.

2023 has been no different. As our family spent a few days at the beach this August, we could feel the seasons shifting once Independence Day hit. It reminded us of the precious times we had with our colleagues in the North.

Unfortunately, the borders to North Korea remain closed today. Since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, no one has been able to go inside North Korea. Although goods have started to cross the borders, people have yet to routinely travel inside.

Koryo tours has announced that tourism will soon resume, and the North Korean athlete delegation just arrived in China to attend an international competition. We hope this means that the borders will reopen soon. Until then, our family will reminisce of the times we walked in that land with her people and look forward to the day when we can retrace those steps once again.