"Will October 24 Become a Public Holiday?" Political Circles Join Push as Chairman Lee Renews Call

80th Anniversary Ceremony of the United Nations
Chairman Lee Honors UN Forces' Sacrifice with Floral Tribute

Lee Joonggeun, President of the Korean Senior Citizens Association and Chairman of Booyoung Group, has once again called for the reinstatement of United Nations Day as a national holiday at a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

Lee Joong-geun, Chairman of Booyoung Group. Booyoung Group

According to Booyoung Group on the 27th, Chairman Lee stated at the "80th United Nations Day Commemoration Ceremony" held at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Nam-gu, Busan on the 24th, "The Korean War was the first and, to this day, the only war in which troops from 60 United Nations member countries participated since the founding of the UN." He added, "Thanks to the sacrifices of the UN forces, we have been able to rise to become one of the world's top ten economies." Chairman Lee continued, "As a nation known for its courtesy, we must not forget to express our gratitude for the dedication of the UN forces," and once again proposed, "I urge that United Nations Day be reinstated as a national holiday." The event was attended by over 300 people, including Busan Mayor Park Hyungjoon, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina, diplomatic envoys, representatives of veterans' organizations, and military personnel.

United Nations Day was established to commemorate the founding of the UN and was observed as a legal public holiday in Korea until 1975. However, in 1976, the designation was abolished in protest against North Korea's admission to UN-affiliated organizations. Chairman Lee has consistently engaged in activities honoring UN veterans. In 2015, he fully funded the construction of a monument symbolizing the 23 UN member countries that participated in the Korean War at the Peace Plaza of the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan. This monument is considered one of only two UN participation heritage sites in the world, alongside the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan.

Lee Joong-geun, Chairman of Booyoung Group, is laying a wreath at the United Nations Day ceremony on the 24th. Booyoung Group

In addition, more than 10 million copies of "1129 Days of the Korean War," a chronicle of the war period, have been distributed free of charge to domestic and international organizations and to the countries that participated in the war. Booyoung Group has also continued its support for veterans by donating 10 billion won to the Air Force Sky Love Scholarship Foundation, sponsoring the "Heroes in Uniform" project, and supporting the improvement of facilities in remote military units.

The discussion about reinstating United Nations Day as a public holiday has also spread to the political sphere. In August, Assemblyman Yang Bunam of the Democratic Party of Korea and others proposed an amendment to the "Public Holidays Act." Assemblyman Yang's office explained, "There have been criticisms that Korea has not done enough to remember and honor the dedication and sacrifices received from the international community," and added, "The purpose is to designate October 24, the founding day of the United Nations, as a public holiday for commemoration." Last month, Chairman Lee delivered a petition with 400,000 signatures supporting the reinstatement of United Nations Day as a public holiday to the National Assembly, forming a broad social consensus on the issue.