Children’s Day

The word “child” was not widely used in 1900 in Korea. People began treating childhood as a special period of human development in modern times. Before modern times, children were considered those to be endeared and coming of age at a certain point. As the saying goes that “Girls over age 7 cannot mingle with boys of the same age,” children over age 7 were considered adults in Confucian society.

History shows that the young were separated from adults and children were separated from the young. Bang Jung-hwan, who established Children’s Day in Korea, drew a distinction between the young and children in the 1920s by saying, “Just as young persons are called as the young, little ones should be called children.” The term child (“eorinee” in Korean) occasionally appeared in the ancient Chinese book “The Family Rituals of Zhu Xi” written in the 17th century, but Bang was the one who spread the term. In 1923, he published the monthly magazine “Eorinee” and established the Saekdong (referring to children) Association in Tokyo to study children’s issues.

International Children’s Day falls on June 1. The World Congress on Children’s Welfare in Geneva in 1926 designated the date as International Children’s Day. Most former Soviet republic countries and China mark June 1 as Children’s Day. Korea and Japan celebrate the holiday on May 5. Most Western European countries and the U.S. might always hold children valuable but have no Children’s Day. For parents in those countries, every day is for children. Korea, Japan and China are several countries that made Children’s Day a national holiday. It seems that they want to rectify unfair treatment of children by making Children’s Day a national holiday.

In general, children are those between ages 7 and 13 and are distinguished from young children under age 7. Those under age 14 are called minors under the penal code. Under information and communications law in Korea, collection of personal information on those under age 14 needs parental consent. Parents generally consider their children as teenagers and not as children and stop giving gifts on Children’s Day if the latter graduate from elementary school. Penologists, however, say seventh and eighth graders should be treated as children for their smooth transition to adolescence and emotional development.

Editorial Writer Song Pyeong-in (pisong@donga.com)