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A military parade takes place on a Seoul street on Armed Forces Day in 2004.
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Critics say date of commemoration should be moved
When should South Koreans mark the creation of their military? The question is being asked more frequently as Armed Forces Day approaches. The official commemoration falls on October 1, which was designated in 1956 by then-president Syngman Rhee. However, October 1 is not the day when the military was organized, but rather the day when the South Korean army crossed the demarcation line at the 38th parallel, heading northward during the Korean War. The Defense Ministry has said it has no intention of changing the day. Kim Hee-sun, a lawmaker from the ruling Uri Party, along with officials from eight civic groups including the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities, convened a meeting in central Seoul to call for the day to be redesignated as September 17, the date the Independence Army was formed by Koreans in China in 1940 to fight against Japanese colonial rule.Another group says that the holiday should be marked on January 15, when the South’s military patrol was organized six decades ago. "We will submit a resolution to the National Assembly to have the day changed," a representative of this group said. North Korea has seen similar such changes to its official Armed Forces Day. Until 1977, the North celebrated the creation of its military on February 8. Later, Pyongyang moved the day to April 25, when the North’s late leader Kim Il-sung was said to have organized commando troops in 1932 to fight against Japanese colonial rule. Within the ongoing debate regarding when to mark the creation of South Korea’s military, some observers are saying that when to celebrate Armed Forces Day should not be an issue of importance right now. "It will be more desirable to talk about [changing Armed Forces Day] after taking over wartime operational command of our military from the U.S.," said Han Hong-gu, professor at SungKongHoe University.
