Reborn as a Mature Young Adult through the Traditional Twenty-Year-Old Coming-of-Age Ceremony

On the 13th, the 12th Dongdaemun-gu Traditional Coming-of-Age Ceremony Held at Seoul Korean Medicine Promotion Center

16 Participants Born in 2004... Strengthening the Mindset of Adulthood through Three Rituals

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) held the 12th Dongdaemun-gu Traditional Coming-of-Age Ceremony on the 13th at the Seoul Korean Medicine Promotion Center to remind young people becoming adults that with freedom and rights come corresponding duties and responsibilities.

Hosted by the Dongdaemun Branch of the Sungkyunkwan Confucian Association and sponsored by Dongdaemun-gu, this event was attended by 16 participants born in 2004 who are transitioning from youth to adulthood this year (8 males and 8 females).

The coming-of-age ceremony was conducted through three rituals. First, the ‘Samgarye (三加禮)’, where participants are dressed in new attire befitting adulthood; second, the ‘Chorye (茶禮)’, a ritual teaching the etiquette of drinking alcohol; and finally, the ‘Myeongjarye (命字禮)’, where a new adult name, or ‘ja’, is bestowed upon the participants.

During Samgarye, the participants had the opportunity to wear traditional clothing in order: casual wear, outerwear, and ceremonial dress. Through the subsequent events, they learned proper conduct as adults, filial piety towards parents, and love for others, concluding with a coming-of-age oath pledging to take responsibility for their own judgments and actions as young adults.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Congratulations to all the young people who have become adults this year,” and added, “I hope that through this event, the young adults reflect on the meaning of becoming an adult and grow into confident and admirable adults who create a wonderful new life after turning twenty.”

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