Aug 15, 2021
National Liberation Day of Korea 2021
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the National Liberation Day of Korea, known in Korean as Gwangbokjeol (광복절), which translates literally to “Restoration of Light Day.” This public holiday commemorates the anniversary of the day Korea was liberated following the end of World War II in 1945. August 15 also recognizes the establishment of the first official South Korean government on this day in 1948.
Gwangbokjeol is a combination of three carefully chosen Korean characters: ‘광’ (gwang) or “light”; ‘복’ (bok) or “restoration”; and ‘절’ (jeol) or “holiday.” As the nation’s history on the Korean peninsula extends as far back as 4 BCE, the character for “restoration” is used instead of “independence” to highlight the thousands of years of history that preceded its occupation by other forces.
Koreans worldwide celebrate the nation’s hard-won independence and rich history with public displays of the taegeukgi (the South Korean flag depicted in the Doodle artwork), while official government ceremonies honor those who made sacrifices to establish a sovereign state.
광복절 만세 (Gwangbokjeol manse)! Happy National Liberation Day, Korea!
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