Gwangbokjeol: August 15, the Day the Light Returned광복절: 8월 15일, 되찾은 빛

August 15 is Gwangbokjeol, Korea's National Liberation Day. The name means "the day the light (gwang) returned (bok)" — a poetic way of describing the end of 35 years of Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), which came with Japan's surrender to the Allied forces on August 15, 1945.

The date carries a second layer of meaning: exactly three years later, on August 15, 1948, the government of the Republic of Korea was formally established in the southern half of the peninsula. So the holiday marks both liberation and the birth of the modern South Korean state. It is also notable as a day commemorated on both sides of the divided peninsula, though the two Koreas mark it differently.

On Gwangbokjeol you'll see the Taegeukgi flag displayed on buildings and homes, an official government ceremony, and free admission at many palaces and museums. For visitors, the most meaningful place to spend the day is Seodaemun Prison History Hall in Seoul — a colonial-era prison, opened in 1908 and used until 1987, where independence activists and later pro-democracy activists were held. It stands today as a museum inside Independence Park.

A gentle note: liberation and the colonial period remain emotionally significant topics in Korea. Visitors don't need to tiptoe, but listening with curiosity rather than debating history will always be appreciated.