Liberation Day (Korea)

Gwangbokjeol
Korean independence activists are released, 1945
Official name	Gwangbokjeol (South Korea) Jogukhaebangŭi nal (North Korea)
Also called	Liberation Day of Korea
Observed by	Koreans
Type	National, public
Significance	Commemorates Victory over Japan Day, in which the United States and the Soviet Union liberated Korea from Imperial Japanese colonial rule which lasted from 1910 to 1945.
Date	August 15
Next time	15 August 2017 (2017-08-15)

The National Liberation Day of Korea, is celebrated annually on August 15 in both North and South Korea. It commemorates Victory over Japan Day, in which the Korean Peninsula was liberated from Imperial Japanese colonial rule by the United States and the Soviet Union.

In South Korea it is known as Gwangbokjeol (transliteration of Korean: literally, "the day the light returned"), and is one of the public holidays in South Korea. In North Korea it is known as Chogukhaebangŭi nal (literally Liberation of the Fatherland Day).

After the Korean Peninsula was liberated by the Allies in 1945, independent Korean governments were created three years later, on August 15, 1948, when the pro-U.S. Syngman Rhee was elected first President of South Korea and pro-Soviet Kim Il-sung was made first Leader of North Korea. Gwangbokjeol was officially designated a public holiday on October 1, 1949 in South Korea and is known as Chogukhaebangŭi nal (조국해방의 날; literally "Liberation of Fatherland Day") in North Korea.

North Korea currently celebrates this holiday along with South Korea. Liberation Day is the only Korean holiday that is celebrated by both countries.

On 5 August 2015, the North Korean government decided to return to UTC+08:30, effective 15 August 2015, and said the official name would be Pyongyang Time or (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.

In South Korea, many activities and events happen during the day, including an official ceremony with the president in attendance that takes place at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan or at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.