CAMP HUMPHREYS – On Aug. 15, Koreans celebrated the 70th anniversary of their liberation from Imperial Japanese rule at the Independence Hall of Korea.
The celebration included ‘The Day, Liberation Day’ play, a Republic of Korea air force air show and a military band performance.
Gwangbokjeol, also known as liberation day, commemorates the day in 1945 when Koreans won their freedom from the provisional government established under Japanese colonial rule.
Jin Kim, who works at Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, said this year’s anniversary has special meaning for Koreans.
This year is the 70th anniversary of Gwangbok, or Independence day, she said. As a tradition, Koreans find it meaningful, for it has already been seven decades. The Korean government has even formed a committee that runs memorial activities about our 70 years of independence.
Gawnbokjeol is little different from the Independence Day of the United States. Gwangbok means ‘We have regained the light,’ which is a way of signifying Koreans have been liberated from Japanese colonization and have taken back their freedom.
Korea was liberated from Japanese imperialism because of the sweat and blood that the Korean forefathers sacrificed during the fighting, Kim said. That is why after the liberation in 1945, Korean nationals gathered to build a memorial hall to commemorate that day.
In 1987, Korea established the Independence Hall in Cheonan. Since then, Independence Hall has displayed several different exhibitions that provide information to past events.
The Hall is located in Cheonan city, entrance is free. It has eight exhibit halls covering different subjects and provides multilingual commentary service, 4D stereoscopic cinema and audio guide device. Outside of the exhibit hall, there is a youth campsite and garden of unification aspirations.
