A legislation to recognize Oct. 20 as Arirang Day, authored Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva in honor of Orange County celebration, garnered a unanimous decision of 67 votes to pass.
Quirk-Silva’s Assembly Concurrent Resolution 128 (ACR 128) still needs the Senate’s approval, the final decision is largely considered a formality. Once the final decision is made, California will become the first state to celebrate Arirang Day.
It is immensely rare for the California State Assembly to recognize a day to celebrate the Korean-American community. The only previous incident has been the Korean-American Day, which was recognized in 2004.
Principle co-author for the legislation was State Rep. Steven Choi (68th Assembly District), while Josh Newman (29th Assembly District) was its co-author. Before the voting, Choi stood on the Assembly floor to speak about what Arirang means to the Korean community.
The date Oct. 20 was selected based on Buena Park’s plan to host the 33rd Arirang Festival between Oct. 19 and Oct. 22 in an area that is represented by Quirk-Silva.
“Arirang is a traditional Korean music and also the country’s unofficial anthem,” said Quirk-Silva. “It was also added to the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Korean-American community is preparing for the Arirang Festival. Recognizing Arirang Day will contribute Korean-Americans to protect their culture, which would add to the diversity of our greater community.”
Quirk-Silva plans to deliver the California State Assembly’s approval at the Arirang Festival on Oct. 19.
“South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organizations that strive to protect Arirang will also be informed about California’s recognition,” said Quirk-Silva’s aide Dong-woo Park.
By Sanghwan Lim
