National Liberation Day of Korea

Etymology

In North Korea, it is known as Chogukhaebangŭi Nal ().

In South Korea, it is known as Gwangbokjeol (). The name Gwangbokjeol uses the term "restoration" () instead of "independence" () to emphasize that Korea had been independent for millennia prior to Japanese rule.

History

The day marks the annual anniversary of the announcement that Japan would unconditionally surrender on August 15, 1945. All forces of the Imperial Japanese Army were ordered to surrender to the Allies, with the last Japanese occupation troops leaving southern Korea by November 6, 1945. The United States and Soviet Union agreed on a 3-year trusteeship during which they would oversee the establishment of two different national governments for Korea.[[File:Surrender of Japanese Forces in Southern Korea.jpg|thumb|upright|left|American soldiers lowering the Japanese flag at the former [[Government-General of Chōsen Building|Japanese General Government Building, Seoul]] on 9 September 1945.]]

The Korean Peninsula came for the first time in history since its founding in 2333 BC under control by a foreign power in 1910, followed by a 35 year long occupation period, which oversaw the attempt at eradicating the Korean culture and language. On 1 September a provisional government of which the People's Republic of Korea was established by the Committee for the Preparation of the National government (). The negotiations on 15 August between Lyuh Woon-hyung and , the representative of Nobuyuki Abe, the Governor-General of Chōsen, agreed on the release of all prisoners and the transfer of administrative and judicial control to Korean authorities in return for the guarantee of safe passage for Japanese citizens.

United States troops landed in mid-September and occupied the southern part of the country, declaring the provisional government as invalid.

August 15 is celebrated by many countries as Victory over Japan Day, the day Japan's emperor announced the country's surrender. The United States, however, commemorates this day in September when the Japanese formally signed a declaration of surrender.

North Korea

In North Korea, it is typical to schedule weddings on the holiday.

The holiday is often celebrated with a military parade on Kim Il Sung Square on jubilee years (ex: 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th anniversaries) with the attendance of the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of North Korea. The first parade was held in 1949 at Pyongyang station. It was held again in 1953, and then conducted every year until 1960, when it took a pause until the early 2000s.

2015 North Korea time zone change

On 5 August 2015, the North Korean government decided to change its time zone back to UTC+08:30 effective 15 August 2015, and said the official name would be Pyongyang Time (PYT). The government of North Korea made this decision as a break from 'imperialism'; the time zone change went into effect on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Korea. North Korea reversed the change in May 2018.

South Korea

Public holiday

In South Korea, many activities and events take place on the holiday, including an official ceremony attended by the President of the Republic either at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan or at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. During the celebration, the flags of different countries around the world hung in the middle of the road around the Jamsil area of Seoul between the Seoul Olympic Stadium and Olympic Park, Seoul are taken down and replaced with flag of South Korea.

All buildings and homes are encouraged to display the South Korean national flag Taegukgi. Not only are most public museums and places open free of charge to the descendants of independence activists on the holiday, but they can also travel on both public transport and intercity trains for free.

The official "Gwangbokjeol song" () is sung at official ceremonies. The song's lyrics were written by Jeong In-bo () and the melody by (). The lyrics speak of "to touch the earth again" and how "the sea dances", how "this day is the remaining trace of 40 years of passionate blood solidified" and to "guard this forever and ever".

The government traditionally issues special pardons on Gwangbokjeol.

Assassination attempt

At 10:23 a.m., 15 August 1974, Mun Se-gwang, a Zainichi Korean and North Korean sympathizer, attempted to assassinate President Park Chung Hee at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul during a Gwangbokjeol ceremony; Park was unharmed but his wife Yuk Young-soo, the First Lady of South Korea, was killed.

De facto inauguration ceremony

At 8:00 p.m., 15 August 2025, at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung, who took the office on 4 June after winning the 21st presidential election without an official inauguration, hold a "de facto" public inauguration ceremony, dubbed as "People's Mandate Ceremony", coincided with 80th anniversary of Liberation of Korean Peninsula from Japan. During the ceremony, he received appointment letters from 80 selected individuals, ranged from prominent figures in democracy, economic growth, science and technology, culture, sports, and ordinary citizens.

References

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