By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the 79th National Liberation Day ceremony at the Sejong Center for the Arts in Seoul on Aug. 15, 2024.
The ceremony was attended by more than 2,000 people from all walks of life, including the bereaved families of independence heroes, leading national figures, members of the Korean diplomatic corps, representatives from all walks of life, citizens, and students, who shared the joy of liberation and its historical significance.
The celebration, themed “Reclaimed Country, Great People, Greater Korea,” began with a performance expressing the overwhelming emotions and joy of liberation.
This was followed by the reading of the oath by the three-time gold medalist in archery at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Lim Si-hyun, a choral and hooray performance by a children's musical troupe, the awarding of independence patriots, a congratulatory performance, the singing of the Liberation Day song, and the singing of three cheers.
In particular, the theme video of the ceremony, which followed the children's musical troupe's chorus (including the musical “Hero”) and hooray performance, reflected on the meaning of the Taegeukgi, which has appeared in every important historical scene since the liberation of Korea in 1945, and the 79 years of freedom and prosperity of Korea today.
A total of 121 independence heroes were honored with government awards this Liberation Day, and the President personally presented awards to five descendants of independence heroes, including Mr. Moon Hyung-bae, a descendant of the late Moon Il-suk, who dedicated himself to restoring national sovereignty in Gyeongbuk and Chungcheongbuk provinces.
In his remarks at the 79th anniversary celebration, the President said that from the time the sovereignty was stolen until today, our people have written a truly great history, and the fundamental value that runs through this great journey is freedom.
The President went on to emphasize reunification as a crucial historical task that must be resolved, saying that our complete liberation is still an unfinished task and will only be realized on the day when a free and democratic reunified Korea with the people as the sovereign nation will be established on the entire Korean Peninsula.
The President also presented a three-pronged strategy for moving forward to a unified Korea: first, the Korean people must have the values and capabilities to push for free reunification; second, we must make changes so that the people of North Korea desire free reunification; and third, we must stand in solidarity with the international community.
The ceremony concluded with a rousing round of applause from all in attendance, following pledge speeches by Heo Mi-mi, a descendant of independence activist Heo Seok and a silver medalist in judo at the 2024 Paris Olympics; Cho Eun-ae, a lieutenant colonel in charge of the development of the Korean fighter jet at the Korea Aerospace Development Administration; and Kim Woo-jin, a triple gold medalist in archery at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
