The Mugunghwa Bloomed at the Memorial of the 'Beautiful Youth'

President Moon awards the late Jeon Tae-il, labor movement's first recipient of the highest national honor 'Mugunghwa Medal'... Jeon Tae-il 50th Memorial Ceremony on the 13th

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 12th, President Moon Jae-in posthumously awarded the Mugunghwa Medal, the highest first-class national medal, to the late labor activist Jeon Tae-il at the Blue House, marking the first time a labor figure has received this honor.

Jeon Tae-il, who took his own life on November 13, 1970, to call for improvements in labor rights, is a symbolic figure in the Korean labor movement. The Blue House explained, "The award ceremony was held to commemorate the late's contributions to national and social development through labor rights improvement activities and to express the government's commitment to realizing a labor-respecting society."

President Moon expressed gratitude for the dedication and efforts of Jeon Tae-il's family, including his late mother Lee So-seon, who devoted herself to protecting workers' rights.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the event, Jeon Tae-il's family members, including his eldest brother Jeon Tae-sam, second sister Jeon Sun-ok, and third sister Jeon Tae-ri, attended. Friends of Jeon Tae-il, such as Choi Jong-in, Lee Seung-chul, Lim Hyun-jae, and Kim Young-moon, who had worked with him in the Samdonghoe and recommended him for this government award, as well as bereaved family members and officials including Lee Soo-ho, chairman of the Jeon Tae-il Foundation, were also present.

During the medal presentation ceremony, the family members received the medal, its accompanying badge, and bouquets. The bouquets were made with chrysanthemums symbolizing remembrance and nodanse, representing eternal memory.

The event also featured an exhibition of the first edition of the Jeon Tae-il biography (originally titled "The Life and Death of a Young Laborer") provided by the Jeon Tae-il Foundation. The biography, written by the late lawyer Cho Young-rae?whom President Moon respects and who is a symbol of Korean human rights lawyers?has been considered a must-read for Korean labor and human rights activists since the 1980s.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, at the 50th anniversary memorial service for Jeon Tae-il held on the 13th at the Jeon Tae-il burial site in Moran Park, Maseok, Gyeonggi Province, family and friends plan to dedicate the medal in front of Jeon Tae-il's portrait. The medal will later be stored and displayed at the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall.

Earlier, on the 6th, Minister of Labor Lee Jae-gap visited the Jeon Tae-il burial site and posted on Facebook, "Although half a century has passed, the spirit of Jeon Tae-il, the 'beautiful youth' who respected labor and sought shared prosperity, remains relevant today."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.