National Liberation Day of Korea | |
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Korean people celebrating their liberation in 1945 | |
Official name | 조국해방의 날 (Chogukhaebang'ŭi Nal) (North Korea) 광복절 (Gwangbokjeol) (South Korea) |
Observed by | |
Type | National |
Significance | Commemorates Victory over Japan Day, when Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule and the establishment of South Korea |
Celebrations | Civilian and military parades, political rallies |
Date | 15 August |
Frequency | Annual |
National Liberation Day of Korea | |||||||
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North Korean name | |||||||
Chosŏn'gŭl | 조국 해방 의 날 | ||||||
Hancha | 祖國 解放의 날 | ||||||
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South Korean name | |||||||
Hangul | 광복절 | ||||||
Hanja | 光 復 節 | ||||||
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The National Liberation Day of Korea is a public holiday celebrated annually on 15 August in both South and North Korea. It commemorates the day when Korea was liberated from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule. The day also coincides with the anniversary of the founding of South Korea in 1948. [1]
In South Korea,it is known as Gwangbokjeol (Korean : 광복절;lit. The Day the Light Returned). [2] In North Korea it is known as Chogukhaebangŭi Nal (조국해방의날;lit. Liberation of the Fatherland Day). [3]
The name Gwangbokjeol uses the term “restoration”(복;bog) instead of “independence”(독립;dongnip) to emphasize that Korea had been independent for centuries prior to Japanese rule. [4]
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. [2] Independent Korean governments were created three years later,on 15 August 1948.
Korea has been an independent nation for centuries,but it had been invaded many times,with the last invasion being the period of Japanese rule. It took three years after Korea became independent in 1945 for the nation to actually establish the Republic of Korea on August 15,when National Liberation Day is celebrated. [4]
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. [4]
Liberation Day is the only Korean holiday that is celebrated by both North Korea and South Korea. [5] [6] [7]
In North Korea,it is typical to schedule weddings on the holiday. [8] [9]
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. [10]
On 5 August 2015,the North Korean government decided to change its timezone back to UTC+08:30 effective 15 August 2015,and said the official name would be Pyongyang Time (PYT). [11] [12] 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. [13] North Korea reversed the change in May 2018. [14]
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. [2] [15] 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 Olympic Stadium and Olympic Park are taken down and replaced with South Korean national flags. [4]
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. [2]
The official "Gwangbokjeol song" (광복절노래) is sung at official ceremonies. The song's lyrics were written by Jeong Inbo (정인보) and the melody by Yoon Yongha (윤용하). [2] 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". [16]
The government traditionally issues special pardons on Gwangbokjeol. [17] [18]
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. [19] [20]
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official end of World War II in Europe in the Eastern Front, with the last known shots fired on 11 May.
"Aegukka", officially translated as "Patriotic Song", is the national anthem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea. It was composed in 1945 as a patriotic song celebrating independence from Japanese occupation and was adopted as the state anthem in 1947.
Victory Day is a holiday that commemorates the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. It was first inaugurated in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union following the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender late in the evening on 8 May 1945. The Soviet government announced the victory early on 9 May after the signing ceremony in Berlin. Although the official inauguration occurred in 1945, the holiday became a non-labor day only in 1965.
Victory over Japan Day is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made – 15 August 1945, in Japan, and because of time zone differences, 14 August 1945 – as well as to 2 September 1945, when the surrender document was signed, officially ending World War II.
This is a list of public holidays in North Korea. See also the Korean calendar for a list of traditional holidays. As of 2017, the North Korean calendar has 71 official public holidays, including Sundays. In the past, North Koreans relied on rations provided by the state on public holidays for feasts. Recently, with marketization people are able to save up money and buy the goods they need.
A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the world. Massed parades may also hold a role for propaganda purposes, being used to exhibit the apparent military strength of a country.
An Armed Forces Day, alongside its branch-specific variants often referred to as Army or Soldier's Day, Navy or Sailor's Day, and Air Force or Aviator's Day, is a holiday dedicated to honoring the armed forces, or one of their branches, of a sovereign state, including their personnel, history, achievements, and perceived sacrifices. It's often patriotic or nationalistic in nature, carrying propaganda value outside of the conventional boundaries of a military's subculture and into the wider civilian society. Many nations around the world observe this day. It is usually distinct from a Veterans or Memorial Day, as the former is dedicated to former military personnel and the latter is dedicated to dead military personnel.
Victory Day is a national holiday in Bangladesh celebrated on 16 December to commemorate the defeat of the Pakistan Armed Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 and the Independence of Bangladesh. It commemorates the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender, wherein the commander of the Pakistani Forces, General A. A. K. Niazi, surrendered to the Mukti Bahini and their Indian allies, ending the nine-month Bangladesh Liberation War and 1971 Bangladesh genocide and marking the official secession of East Pakistan to become the new state of Bangladesh.
The decolonisation of Asia was the gradual growth of independence movements in Asia, leading ultimately to the retreat of foreign powers and the creation of several nation-states in the region.
Time in North Korea, called Pyongyang Time or Standard Time of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is since May 2018 equal to Korea Standard Time: 9 hours ahead of UTC (UTC+09:00). Like South Korea, North Korea does not currently observe daylight saving time. Time keeping in North Korea is under the State Commission for Science and Technology.
Liberation Day in Albania is commemorated as the day, November 29, 1944, in which the country was liberated from Nazi Germany forces by the Albanian resistance during World War II.
Student Day is the anniversary of the Student Independence Movement against the Japanese rule of Korea. It occurred in 1929, in the city of Gwangju.
Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus, also known as Republic Day or Liberation Day is a public holiday, the independence day of Belarus and is celebrated each year on 3 July. Independence Day is a non-working day.
The Day of the Sun is an annual public holiday in North Korea on 15 April, the birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country, and is considered to be the North Korean equivalent of Christmas. Kim's birthday, which had been an official holiday since 1968, was renamed Day of the Sun in 1997, three years after his death. The name takes its significance from his name: Il-sung.
The Party Foundation Day is an annual public holiday in North Korea marking the 10 October 1945 foundation of the "Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of North Korea", known as the "North Korea Bureau of the Communist Party of Korea" in the West and considered a predecessor to the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
The Day of the Shining Star is a public holiday in North Korea falling on 16 February, the anniversary of the birth of the country's second leader, Kim Jong Il. Along with the Day of the Sun, the birthday of his father Kim Il Sung, it is the most important public holiday in the country.
Military Foundation Day(Korean: 조선인민군 창건일) is an annual public holiday in North Korea falling on 8 February.
Day of the Foundation of the Republic is the Republic Day and National day of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, held on 9 September.
This is a list of military parades held in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 1948. All military parades consist of troops from the Korean People's Army and the paramilitary Worker-Peasant Red Guards. All military parades of a national nature are held on Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square with the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, President of the State Affairs Commission and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of North Korea in attendance. These parades are broadcast live on Korean Central Television.
Kang Sun-nam is a North Korean politician and general who is currently the minister of Defence. He is also a member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and a member of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
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