By Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the 78th Liberation Day celebration held at Ewha Womans University's auditorium in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on August 15. More than 2,000 people attended the ceremony, including patriots, independence fighters and bereaved families, major public officials and representatives from all walks of life, diplomatic corps in Korea, and citizens.

The celebration was held under the theme of "Great People, Journey to Freedom," with the aim of moving toward greater freedom with great people who have made remarkable developments in various fields of politics, economy, society, and culture since liberation.

"Our independence movement was a national foundation movement to create a free democratic state where the people are the owners," the president said in a luncheon welcoming speech for independence fighters and bereaved families on Aug. 9. "Our independence movement is now leading to a global central national vision that takes responsibility and contribution to the international community."

Starting with actor Yoo Dong-geun's reading of the poem "Glory" by the late independence activist Lee Hee-seung, the celebration ceremony was held in the order of showing the Taegeukgi and the meaning of freedom, a celebration performance and chorus expressing the journey of freedom against the backdrop of the independence army.

In particular, patriot Oh Sung-kyu, who was the last surviving patriot living in Japan and returned to permanent residence on August 13, attended the ceremony, adding to its meaning. Patriot Oh formed a secret organization network in Manchuria, during the Japanese colonial era, launched an anti-Japanese movement, worked in the Liberation Army, and was awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1990.

In his congratulatory speech, President Yoon stressed, "It is the core of national identity and national continuity to remember the ancestors who threw their everything for the freedom, independence, and universal values of their country."

Meanwhile, the president and his wife arrived at the celebration in advance to greet patriots Oh Sung-kyu and Kim Young-kwan in person, entered the venue together, and paid the utmost respect to patriots who devoted themselves to the independence movement.

On Liberation Day, a total of 100 independence fighters were awarded government awards, and the president gave government awards to five descendants of independence fighters, including Kim Yong-soo, a descendant of the late Kim Hyun-soo, who devoted himself to restoring national sovereignty in Nanjing, China.

The three cheers at the end of the celebration were carried out by Captain Gil Han-bit, an Air Force pilot who participated in the Operation Promise, which brought back Korean residents who were isolated in Sudan safely, Ko Jung-hwan, head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, and actor Yoo Dong-geun. They pledged Korea's commitment to protecting people's freedom under any circumstances.

Ewha Women's University, the successor of Ewha School, which produced numerous female independence activists, was selected as the venue of the Liberation Day celebration, and the ceremony was held as a large-scale event involving more than 2,000 people.