A taegukgi is raised in an apartment complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. /Courtesy of News1

Ahead of the 77th anniversary of Constitution Day on the 17th, there is a growing call to once again designate Constitution Day as a public holiday.

On the 9th, People Power Party member Kang Dae-sik proposed the 'Partial Amendment Bill on Public Holidays'. The amendment aims to designate Constitution Day, which is the only one excluded from public holidays among the five national holidays, as a public holiday again, and includes provisions for substituting holidays if it overlaps with Saturday, Sunday, or other public holidays.

Constitution Day commemorates the proclamation of the Constitution of Korea on July 17, 1948. It is one of the five national holidays, along with Independence Movement Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, and Hangul Day.

Once designated as an official public holiday, it was excluded during the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2008 on the grounds of enhancing corporate productivity. The main background for this decision was the view that the increase in annual holidays resulting from the spread of the five-day workweek was a burden on corporations.

Representative Kang noted, "Constitution Day holds great historical significance as the day democratic constitutional order was established," and explained the purpose of the bill by saying, "Designating it as a public holiday will provide an opportunity for the public to reflect on the meaning of the Constitution and experience the values of democracy in their daily lives."

On the 11th, ahead of Constitution Day, the bereaved family association of the members of the first National Assembly of Korea will hold a luncheon meeting with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik at the National Assembly Loving House and request the swift processing of the bill for the reassignment of Constitution Day as a public holiday.

The bereaved family association also plans to suggest expanding access to the Constitution Hall, currently open only on Fridays, for the public to visit regularly.

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