With the 81st anniversary of Liberation Day approaching on Saturday, the public and private sectors are joining forces to raise awareness of the Taegukgi, South Korea's national flag, through souvenir production, flag-display campaigns and donations from product sales to support a memorial park honoring independence activists.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Thursday it would roll out a range of online and offline campaigns to boost public interest in the Taegukgi ahead of the 81st Liberation Day.
The ministry will partner with Nonghyup to produce national-symbol souvenirs and run an "81st Liberation Day Taegukgi Display Campaign."
This year's souvenir is a keycap-style keychain featuring the Taegukgi and the mugunghwa, South Korea's national flower, designed to keep national symbols visible in everyday life when attached to bags or keys.
Alongside this, the ministry is partnering with CU convenience stores for a month-long August promotional campaign under the theme "United as One Through the Taegukgi."
Through the CU mobile app "Pocket CU," a nationwide Taegukgi display campaign will guide users on how to hang the flag correctly, explain its significance and encourage flag display on Liberation Day itself.
During the second week of August, which includes Liberation Day, card-news content promoting the flag-display movement will appear on CU checkout counters and digital signage, calling on the public to participate.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of three "Taeguk products" — dosirak, kimbap and sandwiches — will be donated to the Lee Tae-jun Memorial Park in Mongolia, which honors the independence activist Lee Tae-jun.
Additional events marking Liberation Day will include a gratitude-comment event honoring independence activists and other commemorations paying tribute to those who gave their lives for the nation's liberation.
The ministry will also promote the "81st Liberation Day Love for the Nation — Taegukgi Display" campaign in coordination with central and local governments and related agencies.
On Liberation Day, households should hang the Taegukgi at the center or left side of their front gate as viewed from outside — or on the railing of each unit for apartment residents. Those without a dedicated flagpole can use window-mounted flags (displayed correctly when viewed from outside), vehicle flags or other formats. Apartment buildings may also use shared flagpoles at above-ground building entrances.
For those unable to display a physical flag on the day, the ministry will produce and distribute a "Taegukgi in My Hands" mobile wallpaper so people can mark the occasion through their phones or social media.
Standard Taegukgi images, as well as illustrations of the ministry's mascot characters "Dahaeng-i" and "Buri-buri" holding the flag, will be available for free download through the ministry's blog and other channels.
Kim Min-jae, vice minister of interior and safety, said the ministry had prepared a range of events to rekindle public appreciation for the Taegukgi on the 81st anniversary of Liberation Day. "We hope as many people as possible will fly the Taegukgi on Liberation Day, and that even those who cannot do so physically will join in spirit — through 'Taegukgi in My Hands' or other means — to reflect on the meaning of liberation," he said.
thlee@heraldcorp.com
