South Korea’s Gwangbokjeol commemorates liberation from Japanese rule on 15 August.
The name Gwangbokjeol means “bringing back the light,” and the holiday marks Korea’s liberation in 1945 at the end of World War II. Japan had annexed Korea in 1910, and colonial rule continued until Japan’s surrender.
South Korea observes the day with flag displays, official ceremonies, historical programming, and public performances. It is one of the country’s major national holidays and is also observed in North Korea under a different name and political tradition.
Gwangbokjeol is sometimes described simply as Korean Independence Day, but its immediate historical meaning is liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Korea’s division and the creation of separate governments came later, in 1948.