Children artists tell their story at World Children’s Day event

Children artists and participants pose for a photo holding paper airplanes at the World Children's Day event held at the Children's Museum under the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, Sunday. (Yang Jung-won/The Korea Herald)

The Korea Herald and the National Center for the Rights of the Child held an event to mark World Children's Day, at the Children's Museum under the National Museum of Korea, on Sunday.

World Children's Day, Nov. 20, is an anniversary established by the United Nation in 1954 to protect the basic rights of children. This year's event was planned under the theme “Children’s rights in the perspective of children: meeting with children artists,” and consisted of artworks centered on the four rights of children stipulated in the UN convention – the right to survive, the right to receive protection from anything harmful, the right to cherish services to develop themselves, and the right to participate in national and local activities.

Four young artists presented and explained their works at the event. Jang Min-yeop and Jang Jun-yeop, who presented artworks that call for inclusiveness, are 12- and 10-year-old brothers who have published a collection of poems and paintings.

Fifteen-year-old Pak Ha-reum, also known by the name ARTheif, is the first youth NFT artist in Korea and has created more than 30 digital works. He introduced four works for the exhibition.

Twelve-year-old Kim Ha-min, a renowned child painter, is an artist who has appeared on many television programs as an art prodigy. Kim has held several individual exhibitions and has published essays and fairy tale books. He presented two new works at the event touching on the meaning of children's rights.

Choi Jin-young, the CEO of the Korea Herald, Yoon Hye-mee, the president of NCRC, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Ki-il, Rep. Kang Sun-woo and Rep. Shin Hyun-young from the Democratic Party of Korea, attended the event to listen to the artists' explanations and share their thoughts.

Also, ambassadors from four countries -- Delwar Hossain, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Korea, Deyab Al Rashidi, Ambassador of the state of Kuwait to Korea, Francisco Alberto Gonzalez, Ambassador of Colombia to Korea, and Petko Draganov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Korea – attended the event to show their support of the rights of children.

Participants discussed the blind spots of Korean society when it comes to the rights of children, answering diverse questions from the young artists and children's committee members under the NCRC.

The young participants asked detailed questions about the welfare of disabled children, child abuse prevention measures, and children’s mental health management, and showed deep concerns toward the matter.

“It is the responsibility of adults to create a world where children do not need to worry. We adults will work harder,” said Yoon, President of the National Center for the Rights of the Child.

By Lee Jung-youn(jy@heraldcorp.com)