Former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo, other Korean dignitaries attend
Ambassador and Mrs. Ting Joseph Shih of the Republic of China (Taiwan) hosted a reception at the Grand Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2016 to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the Double Tenth Day.
The venue was literally filled to the brims with the distinguished guests from Korean government and various other segments of society as well as from the international community, including the Seoul Diplomatic Corps.
The Korean guests included former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo and representatives from various segments of Korean society, including the media where The Korea Post media group was represented by the presence of Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik and Korean-language newspaper editor, Ms. Linda Youn.
There also were many ambassadors and other senior diplomats from the diplomatic community. They included Ambassadors Milton Alcides Magana Herrera of El Salvador, Grecia Fiodalicia Pichardo of Dominican Republic and Irineo Raul Silvero Silvagni of Paraguay.
Speaking to the guests, Ambassador Shih said in part, “Taiwan and Korea share a close, mutually influential relationship and both countries have experienced the jornay from under-developed to developed and from authoritarian to democy as well.”
The he said: “This past February, the Kim Koo Foundation donated 2 million US dollars to the NationalTaiwan Universito ty establish Kim Shin Forum and Kim Koo Chair at NTU College of Social Sciences?aiming to serve as a platform on spurring understanding between the young generaions in the wo countries.”
During the establishment of the ROC, Taiwan was under Japanese rule, which began in 1895. In 1945, after surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II, Taiwan was placed under the control of the ROC.
In Taiwan, the official celebration begins with the raising of the flag of the Republic of China in front of the Presidential Building, along with a public singing of the National Anthem of the Republic of China. It is then followed by celebrations in front of the Presidential Building; from time to time, a military parade may occur. Festivities also include many aspects of traditional Chinese and/or Taiwanese culture, such as the lion dance and drum teams, and cultural features coming from Taiwanese aborigines are integrated into the display in recent years.
Later in the day, the President of the Republic of China would address the country and fireworks displays are held throughout the major cities of the island. In 2009, all government sponsored festivities for the Double Ten Day were cancelled, and the money intended for the festivals (NT$ 70 million) were reallocated for reconstruction of the damage done by Typhoon Morakot.
National Day Military Parade.