Teachers' Day (Korea)
Next: May 15, 2027
A carnation and a thank-you.
The story
Where it comes from
Korea's Teachers' Day, Seuseung-ui nal, was started by students. In 1958, Junior Red Cross members at Ganggyeong Girls' High School in South Chungcheong Province began visiting teachers who were ill or had retired. The idea spread through the Junior Red Cross, and on 26 May 1964 its members across the country marked the first Teachers' Day. In April 1965 they moved it to 15 May, the birthday of King Sejong, who created the Korean alphabet. Folded into another education day in 1973, it was restored as an official commemorative day in 1982.
How it's celebrated
Pupils pin carnations on their teachers, sing the Teachers' Day song and fill a 'rolling paper', a large sheet of messages from the whole class. Since 2016 an anti-graft law has limited gifts to teachers, but carnations or flowers given openly by student representatives are still allowed. Once pupils have graduated they are free to visit their old teachers with flowers and presents, and many do.
Did you know
- 15 May is King Sejong's birthday converted to the solar calendar, chosen in the hope that teachers would be as respected as the king who gave Koreans their alphabet.
- In 1965 the Korean Red Cross had a Teachers' Day song written, with words by Yun Seok-jung and music by Kim Dae-hyeon, and spread it on radio and television; from 1966 the day was kept nationwide.
- Ganggyeong High School, where it all began, holds its own ceremony and a writing contest before Teachers' Day every year.
The greeting
선생님 감사합니다 · Seonsaengnim, gamsahamnida
Coming up next
- Hari Raya Aidiladha · May 16, 2027
- Teachers' Day (Malaysia) · May 16, 2027
- International Day of Light · May 16, 2027
- World Telecommunication and Information Society Day · May 17, 2027
- International Museum Day · May 18, 2027
- World Family Doctor Day · May 19, 2027