1950년대 식목일 기념과 금수강산 만들기 기획의 난항

Abstract

This study explores how the South Korean government in the 1950s sought to secure national and ethnic legitimacy through the commemoration of Arbor Day. The designation of Arbor Day as a national holiday was driven not only by the need for forestry development and forest protection but also by its symbolic significance to the nation. During this period, Arbor Day was reframed as a day to restore a land devastated by colonial exploitation, national division, and war, through the direct participation of individual citizens—acts understood as expressions of patriotic practice. The traditional phrase geumsugangsan (beautiful mountains and rivers) was invoked as a rhetorical tool to promote the Republic of Korea’s legitimacy in reclaiming its lost natural landscape. Tree planting was presented as a means of cultivating moral virtue, contributing to the nation’s future, and asserting systemic superiority in the inter-Korean rivalry. The government emphasized Arbor Day’s importance through large-scale ceremonies and the designation of “Forest-Loving Week.” Publicity efforts were carried out through everyday media such as slogans, posters, and postage stamps, while cultural films including Our Forestry Association and Let’s Plant Acacias served as didactic tools to promote awareness of reforestation and forest protection. Building upon these diverse propaganda efforts, the state sought to institutionalize a nationwide reforestation campaign through forestry associations and inter-agency cooperation. However, ongoing food shortages and widespread corruption in the 1950s hindered tangible outcomes. Thus, Arbor Day in this decade is significant as a formative stage in which its meaning was reconstructed as a commemoration imbued with national and ethnic symbolism.