South Koreans Scrap Compulsory Flag Flying

The South Korean government has scrapped a proposal to mandate that citizens fly its national flag on the country's Independence Day, Yonhap reports, after opposition from liberals, who deemed the practice too much like "Big Brother."

In recent years, South Koreans have become less inclined to fly the national flag outside their homes on March 1, and in an apparent attempt to engender more patriotic sentiments, the  government proposed making the tradition mandatory, with South Koreans encouraged to report whether they saw the flag being raised or not.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport told Yonhap that the idea had been scrapped due to lack of agreement over the proposal, which "also backtracks from our policy to ease regulation." 

Independence Day on March 1 marks the anniversary of a series of uprisings against Japanese colonial rule, named the March First Movement, which began in the capital Seoul on March 1 1919 and spread across the country over the course of the next year, with more than 2 million Koreans participating in 1,500 demonstrations before they were eventually put down by Japanese authorities.

On August 15 the country celebrates its Independence Day, on which the South Korean flag, the Taegukgi, is also traditionally raised. This year's celebrations will mark the 70th anniversary of the country's liberation from Japanese colonial rule over Korea, which lasted from 1910-1945. Both events are commemorated in both North and South Korea.