Jeonnam Ui Education Academic and Cultural Festival to Be Held August 13-14 at Suncheon Bay Ecological and Cultural Education Center
Honorary Diplomas Awarded to 24 Student Independence Movement Alumni
The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education announced on August 11 that it will hold the "Jeonnam Ui Education Academic and Cultural Festival" under the theme "80th Anniversary of Liberation, Opening the Future Together with the Restored Light" at the Suncheon Bay Ecological and Cultural Education Center on August 13 and 14.
This event, planned directly by the 7th Jeonnam Student Council, will serve as a platform for learning and public discussion, with participation from students, faculty, parents, and the local community. One of the main programs is a ceremony awarding honorary diplomas to 24 alumni (graduates of Mokpo Jeongmyeong Girls' Middle and High School and Gangjin Daegu Elementary School) who were unable to receive their diplomas due to their participation in student independence movements during the Japanese colonial period. The provincial office described this as "healing the wounds of the past and making an educational promise to future generations."
Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education will hold the 'Jeonnam Ui Education Academic and Cultural Festival' under the theme '80th Anniversary of Liberation, Opening the Future Together with the Restored Light.' Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education
The pre-ceremony performance will feature the 6·15 Choir performing selected pieces from 330 anti-Japanese songs. This will be followed by musicals and performances centered on the values of democracy, peace, and human rights. On the first day, Professor Park Guyong of Chonnam National University will moderate the "K-Democracy Academic Forum," which will discuss major events in modern Korean history?such as Kim Dae-jung's spirit of peace, the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 incident, the 5·18 Democratization Movement, and the 12·3 Martial Law?and explore their intersections with "righteous education."
Additionally, Professor Hosaka Yuji of Sejong University will examine the historical responsibilities and possibilities for reconciliation in Korea-Japan relations in a lecture titled "80 Years Since Liberation: The Path of Peace and Justice." Hwang Hyunpil, director of the Institute for Correcting History, will address historical distortion and political controversies in his lecture, "Liberation Day or Foundation Day?"
On the second day, schools across Jeonnam will present case studies on "Ui Education" teaching and learning practices. Specific examples such as local militia history escape room games, democracy and human rights debates, and project-based classes will be shared. During the festival, more than 40 exhibition and experience booths and pop-up performances will be held in the first-floor hallway and multipurpose hall. Students from Jeonnam Culinary Science High School will offer a special "Liberation Commemorative Beverage" free of charge.
On stage, performances will reinterpret local stories from a youth perspective, including historical plays about the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 incident, the Hampyeong and Haenam anti-Japanese movements, and Wando history. The special exhibition will highlight 80 prominent anti-Japanese figures from Jeonnam.
Superintendent Kim Daejung stated, "Marking the 80th anniversary of liberation, this event will allow students to take center stage in remembering the past and opening the future," adding, "We aim to make this a leading K-democracy festival where the educational community learns and grows together."
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