Boo Young Group launches campaign to make UN Day a national holiday

Boo Young Group has launched a joint campaign calling for the reinstatement of UN Day (Oct. 24) as a national holiday, honoring the UN's contributions to South Korea on the occasion of Constitution Day.

The conglomerate announced Thursday that it organized the campaign under the theme "The UN was with us when South Korea's founding constitution was enacted," together with the Korean Senior Citizens Association, the Korean Liberation Association, the Korean Constitutional Association, the Korea Veterans Association and the UN Korean Association.

The campaign aims to reflect on the historical process by which South Korea, with UN assistance, held a general election on May 10, 1948, to form a constituent assembly, promulgated its founding constitution on July 17 and established the government on Aug. 15. It also seeks to express gratitude for the sacrifices of UN troops who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War to defend the country.

The participating organizations emphasized the UN's pivotal role in making that democratic election possible. They argued that national-level recognition of the UN is warranted, given that South Korea held democratic elections, enacted its constitution and established its government with UN support — and that the country's survival was secured through the sacrifice of UN forces.

South Korea had observed UN Day — marking the founding of the United Nations on Oct. 24, 1945 — as a public holiday from 1950, but removed it from the holiday calendar in 1976 as a protest after North Korea joined various UN agencies and affiliated bodies.

"Constitution Day commemorates the promulgation of South Korea's constitution, and it is only right that we also remember and honor the UN's role in that moment," Boo Young Group Chairman Lee Joong-keun said. "Designating UN Day as a national holiday is a proposal to remember the UN's dedication and sacrifice in the birth and preservation of the Republic of Korea, to pass on the historical truth and the value of gratitude, and to create an opportunity for future generations to strengthen diplomatic ties."

Lee added that "as a nation known for its culture of courtesy, expressing gratitude and respect toward the UN is a precious diplomatic asset that deepens friendship with the countries that once helped us, and will serve as a catalyst for future diplomacy. We must acknowledge, respect and be grateful to the UN."

Boo Young Group has long maintained a commitment to national defense and veterans' causes. The company has delivered care packages to South Korean troops every year for 27 years since 2000, and in 2023 donated 10 billion won ($6.7 million) to the Air Force Sky Love Scholarship Foundation to support the families of Air Force pilots killed in the line of duty.