The Jedol Day of Korea

Photo: Korea Joongang Daily

Jaecheon Choi (Professor at the Ecological Sciences Department of Ewha Women’s University, Dean of the National Ecology Institute) – 

July 17^th is Constitution Day. The day was promulgated as a national holiday in 1949 to celebrate the first anniversary of the Republic of Korea as a constitutional republic. July 17^th is also the date the Chosun dynasty was founded. It seems a bit odd to choose that day to celebrate the birth of a democracy. Apparently, the day was chosen to show historical continuity and increase legitimacy, but it doesn’t seem right to me. The four national holidays of Korea are Constitution Day, March First Day, Independence Day, and National Foundation Day. From 2006, Hangul Day* joined the list to make Five National Holidays.

Not every national holiday is a red-letter day. There is no reason why taking your day off is the best way to commemorate a national event. There is an argument that when you celebrate some national holidays with a day off but not others, some parts of history are being considered more important than others. Constitution Day was a red-letter day until 2007, when the forty hour work week was adopted. Constitution Day became the victim of pro-business policymakers who legislated for more labor hours. On the other hand, Hangul Day was a national holiday until 1990, before being legislated away. Hangul Day was reinstated as a national holiday in 2012 with newfound international and national appreciation for Hangul. Recently the government considered assigning specific days of the week for certain national holidays in order to maximize consumer spending. Regardless, Constitution Day is on Sunday this year, and online critics are grumbling. Does the Constitution mean nothing to these politicians?

My colleagues and I celebrate the day after Constitution Day—Jedol Day! On July 18^th, 2013, five illegally captured bottlenose dolphins were released from the shores of Jeju Island. In 2009, Jedol and four other bottlenose dolphins were captured and imprisoned in “Seogwipo Pacific Land.” Boksoon and Taesan refused to be trained and were isolated in smaller tanks. Jedol, Chunsam, and Sampal were displayed in dolphin shows. Jedol was later sent to “Seoul Grand Park” as part of an animals exchange program. “Seoul Grand Park” is actually not in Seoul, but the Seoul Metropolitan Government nevertheless oversees the park. When former NGO activist Wonsoon Park became the mayor of Seoul, “The Committee to Return Jedol to the Wild” was organized and I became its chairman. The committee consisted of scholars, NGO workers, local organizers, and park personnel. We spent a year planning Jedol’s emancipation. April 8^th 2013, we received a ruling from the Supreme Court and rushed to “Seogwipo Pacific Land.” Chunsam and Sampal were immediately sent to holding bays in Seongsan harbor. Taesan and Boksoon were in bad health and were rushed to vets in Seoul via Asiana cargo planes. Sampal escaped from the holding bay while being retrained for the wild, but we released the two healthy dolphins (Jedol and Chunsam) on July 18^th, 2013. Taesan and Boksoon recovered from illness and were also freed July 6^th, 2015.

During the ceremony for Jedol and Chunsam, I said this: “Today is the moment we renegotiate our hierarchy with the dolphins. Whereas before, you could watch the dolphins play for a few coins at the aquarium, now you must visit the shores of Jeju. They won’t be waiting for you, nor will they be playing on schedule. I am sorry, please visit again. If you want to see these dolphins, you must visit again and again, but you will be happier when you do see them.”

Sending those dolphins back to where they came from was one of life’s greatest achievements. Dolphins are highly intelligent animals, and I have no doubt that they were conscious of their imprisonment and newfound freedom. I will never forget the dolphins looking back at me on the ship headed out to sea. It was a historical moment. Having caught a wild animal of great value, we nevertheless respectfully returned them to their home. Jedol Day commemorates the day the Republic of Korea became a state that respects animal rights. If it can’t be included in the Six National Holidays, it should at least be commemorated in our hearts.

Hangul Day*: The day King Sejong declared Hangul, the phonetic symbols used for the Korean language.

Jedol Day**: It’s a play on the similarity between Jeheon, which means “to create the constitution,” and Jedol, the name of one of the dolphins.