[K-Women Talk] On June 5th, Environment Day, Let's Watch Environmental Films

Last Friday, when rain poured down with gusts of wind, was Children's Day, today is Parents' Day, the 10th is Sea Planting Day, the 11th is the Donghak Peasant Revolution Memorial Day, the 15th is Teachers' Day, the 18th is the May 18th Democratic Movement Memorial Day, and the 31st is both Sea Day and World No Tobacco Day. There are so many commemorative days packed into the month of May. Currently, the South Korean government has established 5 national holidays including Samiljeol and Constitution Day, along with 53 legal commemorative days. Only some of these are public holidays, but there are also commemorative days that people enjoy with special events beyond just remembering them because they are days off.

For example, in Sweden, there is a day called "Eating Rice Noodles at Christmas Eve Dawn." It is said to have started when a Swede who studied in China in the late 1800s returned and introduced Chinese cuisine to Sweden. In New Zealand, every year on April 30th, there is "World Seaweed Farmers' Day." This tradition arose in the 1960s as seaweed farming developed in New Zealand, honoring the hard work and efforts of seaweed farmers. In Mexico, the "Day of the Dead" is celebrated annually on November 1st and 2nd, based on traditions that commemorate and worship death.

Just as each country has its own commemorative days, the United Nations recognizes as many as 143 commemorative days acknowledged by its member states. These include days dedicated to various themes such as human rights, environment, health, culture, and education. For example, January 1st is World Peace Day, March 8th is International Women's Day, and the upcoming June 5th is World Environment Day.

World Environment Day is an international commemorative day established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was established on June 5, 1972, at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden. Every year on June 5th, various events and campaigns are held worldwide to promote awareness and action for environmental protection and sustainable development. Commemorating this day is not only about solving environmental problems but also a great opportunity to reflect on and practice what we can do for sustainable development for the future of our planet.

However, commemorative days generally carry meaning and value for various reasons, so people do not dislike them, but because interests differ, it is not easy for everyone to participate together. Also, some commemorative days like Christmas, which is a Christian holiday, can be difficult to accept due to religious, racial, or cultural differences. Moreover, government-led ceremonies or campaigns, while meaningful, often share the common trait of being uninteresting, so they are not particularly memorable.

June 5th, Environment Day, is becoming more important as climate change worsens, but it is very difficult to capture attention with just official events. At the same time, it is not possible to bombard people with advertisements like companies do. Is there a way, like the tradition of eating rice noodles on Christmas Eve, that anyone can easily participate in, share their thoughts, and look forward to that day? Therefore, I would like to propose one idea.

I hope that June 5th, World Environment Day, becomes a "Day to Watch Environmental Films." Whether in theaters or on OTT platforms, through specialized digital environmental cinemas or public broadcasting, it would be great if adults, children, students, families, clubs, and others could watch an environmental film suited to their situation, age, and interests. Through the power of the film genre, I hope more people can gain a multidimensional understanding of our climate and environmental issues. When you watch, you understand, and when you understand, you love!

Lee Mi-kyung, CEO of the Environmental Foundation

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