The South Korean government's proposal to legally mandate people to hoist the national flag on the upcoming March 1st Movement Day was scrapped Monday after liberals accused it of being overly controlling.
The March 1st Movement, or Samil Movement, was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance during the occupation of Korea by Japan. It came as a result of the authoritarian nature of colonial occupation under the military rule of the Japanese Empire.
On March 1 every year, South Koreans have traditionally raised the national flag, or Taegeukgi, outside their homes, Yonhap News Agency reported.
According to the government administration and home affairs ministry, the ratio of homes and schools that continue this tradition, however, has been dwindling.
In an apparent attempt to continue the legacy, the ministry recently suggested legislating a law that made the practice a requirement.
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In the same proposal, the ministry also said it would require students to submit pictures to prove that they've been obliging and encourage citizens to report homes that failed to keep up.
The decision was met with liberal opposition.
"I guess the government has resorted to patriotism-mongering after all else has failed," Baek Chan-hong, a committee member of the Ssial Foundation, said on his Twitter page.
The approval rating for President Park Geun-hye has recently hit a record low of 29 percent amid public backlash over a series of policy blunders.
Park had also come under fire previously for being too controlling of people's lives -- much like her father, Park Chung-hee, whose rule of the country embittered the public toward government regulation.
