Pledge of Allegiance (South Korea) explained

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag is the pledge to the national flag of South Korea. The pledge is recited at flag ceremonies immediately before the South Korean national anthem.

History

The current pledge was introduced on July 27, 2007.[1] A previous pledge of allegiance was used from 1972 until 2007 and was introduced by then-president Park Chung-hee.[2] [3]

Text of the pledge

1972 version

Korean-language transliteration

.

English translation

I strongly pledge, in front of the proud Korean flag, allegiance to my fatherland, to devote my body and soul to the eternal glory of the ethniticy.

Alternate English translation (with notations)

I firmly pledge, proudly in front of the Korean flag [''Taegukgi''], to loyally devote our body and soul to the eternal glory of the fatherland [''joguk''] and the ethniticy [''[[wikt:민족|minjok]]].

Literal English translation

I am firmly committed to fulfilling my allegiance by offering my body and mind for the endless glory of my fatherland and ethniticy before the proud Korean flag.

2007 version

Korean-language transliteration

.

Official English-language translation

I pledge, in front of proud Taegeuk flag, allegiance to the Republic of Korea for the eternal glory of the country, liberty and freedom to the Republic of Korea.

Alternate English-language translation

I, standing before the noble Taegeuk flag, solemnly pledge allegiance to the Republic of Korea, to its glory, liberty and justice.

Literal English translation

I am firmly committed to my loyalty to the endless glory of the great Korean nation that is free and just in front of a proud Taegeuk flag.

Controversy

Unlike the current pledge which pledges allegiance to the state of South Korea, the 1972 pledge rather pledged allegiance to the "Korean nation" or "Korean ethnicity" (translated as "Korean race" by some critics[4] [5] [6] [7]), also known as the minjok.

This version of the pledge was discontinued in July 2007, during the presidency of Roh Moo-hyun,[8] and replaced with different, non-ethnic wording. The decision was criticized by some left-wing nationalists who advocated Korean reunification of the two Koreas.[9] Similarly, until April 2011, the South Korean army's soldiers swore allegiance to the "Korean ethnicity" in their oaths of enlistment until that, too, was discontinued for similar reasons.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pledge of allegiance is revised yet still resisted . July 9, 2007 . Moon . Gwang-lip . Joong-ang Daily . South Korea . March 24, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160324193814/http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2877789 . March 24, 2016 .
  2. Web site: Kelly . Robert E. . June 4, 2015 . Why South Korea is So Obsessed with Japan . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160324194031/http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2015/06/04/why_south_korea_is_so_obsessed_with_japan_108014.html . March 24, 2016 . March 24, 2016 . Real Clear Defense.
  3. Web site: Myers . Brian Reynolds . Brian Reynolds Myers . September 14, 2010 . South Korea: The Unloved Republic? . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130519065927/http://asiasociety.org/korea/south-korea-unloved-republic . May 19, 2013 . May 19, 2013.
  4. Web site: April 18, 2011 . New Pledge of Allegiance to Reflect Growing Multiculturalism . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110420171019/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/04/18/2011041801112.html . April 20, 2011 . April 20, 2011 . . The military has decided to omit the word 'minjok,' which refers to the Korean race, from the oath of enlistment for officers and soldiers, and replace it with 'the citizen.' The measure reflects the growing number of foreigners who gain Korean citizenship and of children from mixed marriages entering military service. . South Korea.
  5. Web site: Kristol . Bill . Eberstadt . Nicholas . Nicholas Eberstadt Transcript . Conversations with Bill Kristol . Bill Kristol . Nicholas Eberstadt.
  6. Web site: Kristol . Bill . Eberstadt . Nicholas . Nicholas Eberstadt on Understanding North Korea . Conversations with Bill Kristol . Bill Kristol . Nicholas Eberstadt.
  7. Web site: South Korea: The Unloved Republic? | Asia Society . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150609101401/http://www.asiasociety.org/south-korea-unloved-republic . 9 June 2015 . 12 January 2022 . www.asiasociety.org.
  8. Web site: Myers . Brian Reynolds . Brian Reynolds Myers . December 28, 2016 . Still the Unloved Republic . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180313210134/http://sthelepress.com/index.php/2016/12/28/still-the-unloved-republic/ . March 13, 2018 . March 13, 2018.
  9. Web site: Myers . Brian Reynolds . Brian Reynolds Myers . 20 May 2018 . North Korea's state-loyalty advantage. . dead . https://archive.today/20180520092751/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/North+Korea's+state-loyalty+advantage.-a0274114570 . 20 May 2018 . Free Online Library . Although the change was inspired by the increase in multiethnic households, not by the drive to bolster state-patriotism per se, the left-wing media objected ....

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