1111... What day is today really for me?

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input 2024.11.11 06:28

input 2024.11.11 06:28correction 2024.11.11 00:00
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November 11, 2024, 1645th letter

Today, November 11th, can truly be called an ‘anniversary festival.’ In Europe and the former Commonwealth countries, it is the anniversary of the end of World War I, and in Korea, we accepted the suggestion of a Canadian war veteran who said, “Let us also honor the Korean War veterans on Memorial Day,” and designated it as the ‘United Nations Veterans Memorial Day.’ It is also Farmers’ Day. If you remove the Chinese character 11 (十一) and reattach it, it becomes ‘soil to (土)’, making this day a day to honor farmers who are inseparable from the soil.

It is also the founding day of the Republic of Korea Navy, and its origins date from the day in 1945 when Admiral Son Won-il, the first Chief of Naval Staff, founded the Liberation Corps. Admiral Son tried to maintain the spirit of scholars by splitting ‘Scholar Day’ into November 11th, when ‘十’ and ‘一’ overlap. In the Navy, this day is also called ‘Ssangsajeol (雙士節)’. Not long ago, the health and medical community held a ‘Snow Day’ event based on the ‘eye neck’, which is the four letters ‘一’ lying down.

The shape of the four numbers ‘1’ standing upright has created numerous blades. If you ask a passerby what day is today, nine out of ten will answer ‘Pepero Day.’ Even if it’s just marketing for a snack event, it’s making a lot of people happy. As ‘Farmer’s Day’ was replaced by Pepero Day, farmers created ‘Garaetteok Day’ to publicize the merits of our delicious rice.

KORAIL designated ‘1111’ as ‘Rail Day‘ because it looks like a stretched out railway rail, and Daegu City designated it as Childbirth Encouragement Day with the meaning of “Let’s give birth to 1+1 with 1+1.” Cheongju City, North Chungcheong Province, has designated this day as ‘Chopsticks Day’ and is holding a chopstick festival.

In Japan, it is ‘Soccer Day’ because two teams of 11 people compete, but in China, it is Singles’ Day, when sales at online shopping malls explode. Singles’ Day originates from the appearance of multiple ‘1’s. In 1993, at the ‘Solo Festival’ held at Nanjing University, Jack Ma of Alibaba, headquartered in Nanjing, put forward the slogan, “Overcome loneliness through shopping.” The event started in 2017, when Chinese Singles’ Day online sales surpassed American Black Friday sales, making it a global topic.

Although it is not well known, today is ‘Pedestrian Day’ designated by the government. In 2010, it became a legal anniversary in accordance with the ‘Sustainable Transportation and Logistics Development Act’, and since that year, various events have been held under the supervision of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. These days, walking is going beyond exercise and is being combined with play and games, so it can be a meaningful day for young people as well.

Which day resonates with you the most? Even though there may be no right answer, it would be better for your health to enjoy the meaning and enjoy it, even just for a day or two, rather than arguing over every detail, right? Among these, ‘Pedestrian’s Day’ not only serves as a foundation for good health, but it also has the advantage of being able to be enjoyed along with other things. Today, go for a walk with your family, coworkers, or friends with a big smile on your face. We talked about other days, and also exchanged information about proper walking and careful walking…

Last week, American pop music producer Quincy Jones passed away. He produced many hit albums for Michael Jackson and also planned ‘We are the World’ to help Africa. Many media outlets omitted his hit song, but his ‘Ai No Corrida (Full Speed)’ was once very popular in Korea. We have prepared a live performance of Ai No Corrida, which rang out at every discotheque in the 1980s.