National Liberation Day of Korea

What it is

National Liberation Day is a public holiday in both Korean states, kept on 15 August. It looks back to 1945, when Allied forces accepted Japan's surrender and Japanese rule over the peninsula came to an end. The same date carries a second meaning in the South: it is the anniversary of the government established there in 1948. No other political holiday is shared by the two Koreas. For people in both countries the day is one of national memory, marked with official events and, depending on the side of the border, with flags or with parades.

The two names

South Koreans call the day Gwangbokjeol, written 광복절 in hangul and 光復節 in hanja. Loosely put, it means the day light came back to the country. The word used for restoration, bok, is not the word for independence, dongnip, and that choice is deliberate. The reason given is that Korea governed itself for millennia before the colonial period, so 1945 meant a return to an older condition rather than a new beginning. North Korea uses a different name, Choguk haebangŭi nal, 조국해방의 날, meaning Liberation of the Fatherland Day.

Liberation in 1945

The holiday remembers 15 August 1945, when Japan's surrender was announced and the troops of the Imperial Japanese Army were told to give up their arms before the Allies. The last Japanese soldiers did not leave southern Korea until 6 November that year. Korea had fallen under foreign control in 1910, the first time since its founding in 2333 BC, and the occupation brought attempts to wipe out the Korean language and culture. The United States and the Soviet Union agreed to a three-year trusteeship while separate national governments were set up.

In the South

In South Korea the president attends an official ceremony, held at one of two venues: the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, or the Independence Hall of Korea, which stands in Cheonan. The Gwangbokjeol song is performed there, with words by Jeong In-bo and music by Yoon Yong-ha. Homes and public buildings are urged to fly the Taegukgi. Descendants of independence activists enter most public museums free and travel on public and intercity trains at no cost. Pardons are traditionally granted on the date. In 1974 a gunman shot at President Park Chung Hee during a ceremony in Seoul, killing his wife Yuk Young-soo. In 2025 President Lee Jae Myung held a public inauguration at Gwanghwamun Square on the 80th anniversary.

In the North

In North Korea the centrepiece is a military parade on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, staged on round-number anniversaries such as the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th. The Chairman of the State Affairs Commission and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces attend. The first parade took place in 1949 near Pyongyang station. Another was held in 1953, and parades ran every year until 1960, then paused for decades before resuming in the early 2000s. Couples often arrange weddings for the holiday. In 2015 the country moved to Pyongyang Time on the 70th anniversary; it changed back in 2018.

How National Liberation Day of Korea is kept

In the South, the day brings flag displays on homes and public buildings and a state ceremony led by the president. The Gwangbokjeol song is sung. Museums and memorial sites open free to the families of independence activists, and government pardons are issued. In the North, the centrepiece is a military parade on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, held on round anniversaries, with the country's top leaders present. Couples often choose the date for weddings. Elsewhere the same date is kept as Victory over Japan Day.

When and where

The holiday falls on 15 August every year, a fixed date rather than one set by a lunar calendar. In the South it doubles as the anniversary of the government founded in 1948. Many countries treat the same date as Victory over Japan Day, though the United States marks it in September, when the surrender was formally signed.

It is kept across both North and South Korea, the only political holiday the two states share. The largest events are in the capitals: Seoul in the South, where a presidential ceremony and flag displays take place, and Pyongyang in the North, home to the Kim Il Sung Square parades. South Korea's Independence Hall stands in Cheonan.

What National Liberation Day of Korea means

For Koreans the date marks the end of Japanese colonial rule and the return of self-government. The southern name avoids the word independence on purpose: the choice of restoration reflects the belief that Korea had been a self-governing nation for millennia before 1910, so 1945 restored an older state of affairs rather than creating a new one. In the North the name speaks of a fatherland freed. The shared date carries the memory of one peninsula divided into two states.

Questions people ask about National Liberation Day of Korea

See also

Day of the SunNorth Korea's principal holiday, marking the birth anniversary of Kim Il SungArirang Mass GamesA massive civic spectacle of gymnastics, dance, and card stunts in PyongyangDay of the Shining StarA two-day national holiday in North Korea honouring the birth of Kim Jong Il.Mass gamesDisciplined, large-scale gymnastic spectacles celebrating unity and national pride

Good reading and sources

• North Korea's new time zone to break from 'imperialism'BBC, Article
• North Korea's new time zone to break from 'imperialism'BBC, Article

• National Liberation Day of Korea on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.