A Miraculous Day
My father is perhaps the physical embodiment of the ‘Miracle on the Han River’,
a term commonly used to describe Korea’s rapid economic development. Born into
an impoverished family, he leveraged education to climb out of poverty and became
a high ranking official in one of Korea’s largest law firms. He and many others in his
generation were responsible for Korea’s rapid transformation from a war-ravaged nation
to a prosperous economic powerhouse. They made countless sacrifices so that their
children, me included, wouldn’t have to go through the same hardships they had to end
ure. I believe their contributions to our country should be recognized by creating a
national holiday dedicated to celebrating Korea’s ‘Miracle on the Han River’.
While we remember national heroes such as general Yi Sun Shin and freedom fighter
Kim Gu, many others have been criminally overlooked. When the Korean economy was
in ruins, thousands of laborers were sent to the Middle East to earn foreign capital.
Countless women, including my aunts, worked long, tedious hours at textile factories
so their younger brothers could attend university. In addition, 300,000 soldiers fought
in the Vietnam War to secure foreign investment. Many, including myself, tend to take
our current status for granted and fail to see that past generations fought for our
economic well-being. A day dedicated to celebrating Korea’s economic miracle will give
the aforementioned individuals the recognition they deserve for their sacrifice.
In addition, such a national holiday will give South Korea’s youth the hope they sorely
need. The young generation’s proliferate use of the term ‘Hell Chosun’ to refer to their
country exemplifies the myriad problems facing the current generation. Many have
despaired at the lack of job opportunities while economic growth has slowed to a crawl.
I also once had a bleak outlook of Korea’s future and used the term ‘Hell Chosun’ all
too sparingly. That all changed when I visited my father’s childhood home. Located in
a Seoul slum, its size was comparable to my university dorm and had a roof made out
of metal slates and heavy rags. Here, in this small hut, my father had studied
underneath a single lightbulb. In university, he juggled several construction jobs to
pay tuition. In the end, after decades of hard work, he managed to claw his way out
of poverty.
Seeing where my father grew up was a sobering experience. My worries and hardships
seemed rather petty compared to what his generation had to overcome. And yet,
instead of lodging complaints, they surmounted their problems and collectively built a
prosperous nation out of practically nothing. I was simultaneously ashamed and
hopeful. I was ashamed that I had despaired instead of persevering as my father had
done. On the other hand, I was hopeful because I realized no problem was
insurmountable. If our past generations could overcome war and famine, what’s to say
we cannot solve unemployment and an economic downturn? After all, we are
comparatively far better equipped to deal with such problems. A ‘Miracle on the
Han River’ day will serve as a wake-up call for the youth of Korea by prompting them
to tackle the nation’s problems head-on in addition to showing them there is hope for
a better future.
While it is undeniable that South Korea currently faces a bevy of problems, the Miracle
on the Han River shows that our nation is capable of overcoming even larger obstacles.
A Miracle on the Han River day will serve as on opportunity to recognize the countless in
dividuals who have sacrificed for their nation’s prosperity. Moreover, the aforementione
d holiday will empower Korea’s youth by giving them hope that they may be responsible
for the next Korean miracle. An appropriate date for this holiday would be September 1
7th, the day the opening ceremony for the ’88 Seoul Olympics took place. The Seoul
Olympics are widely regarded as a monumental milestone for South Korea that
showcased its astounding economic development to the global community. I believe this
holiday will serve as a catalyst for building a better society for future generations.