The official government ceremony to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of Liberation Day and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean government was held at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Aug. 15. It was held under the theme of “peace.”  In his speech at the ceremony, President Moon Jae-in said, “Even though political unification is still far away, building a single economic community first by settling peace and freely traveling back and forth between the two Koreas will become genuine liberation for us.” 

The first official government ceremony to commemorate the International Memorial Day for Comfort Women was held at the National Mang-Hyang Cemetery in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do Province, on Aug. 14.  “Twenty-seven years ago today, Kim Hak-soon, a comfort woman victim, went public with her tragic story for the first time among surviving victims. During the following nearly three decades, noble and courageous acts by elderly victims have continued,” said President Moon Jae-in in the commemorative speech that day. “Our society’s interest in the issue has soared greatly, and the scope of our solidarity had broadened significantly, thereby encouraging many other victims in other countries.” 

President Moon Jae-in held a special luncheon in Seoul on Aug. 14 with descendants of Korean independence fighters who live overseas, one day before Independence Day. He said that South Korea will join efforts with the North to find the remains of patriot Ahn Jung-geun who fought for Korea's independence and assassinated Ito Hirobumi, one of the main politicians behind Japan's annexation of Korea. President Moon said the joint project will be carried out next year, which marks the 100th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and the establishment of the former provisional government in exile.