On the upcoming 15th, the government will hold a 'Liberation Day celebration' and a 'presidential national appointment ceremony' to mark the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day. Among the 80 representatives of the public who will receive appointment letters from President Lee Jae-myung are Lee Guk-jong, director of the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital, former Vietnam national football team coach Park Hang-seo, and a couple who gave birth to quintuplets through natural conception for the first time in the country.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 13th that it will hold the '80th anniversary Liberation Day celebration' at the Sejong Center in Seoul at 10 a.m. and the 'National Sovereignty Festival and 21st Presidential National Appointment Ceremony' at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul at 8 p.m.
Approximately 2,500 citizens are expected to participate in the Liberation Day celebration, including the families of independence activists, major national figures, the diplomatic corps, representatives from various sectors of society, and students. Eighty descendants of independence activists will enter and stand on the platform, and actor Jo Jin-woong, who accompanied the remains of General Hong Beom-do during the repatriation to the country in 2021, will read the pledge of allegiance to the national flag. The government has also selected a total of 311 people, including the late Lee Eun-sook, as award recipients for independence activists and plans to present the awards.
The evening event at Gwanghwamun Square is expected to be attended by 3,500 citizens invited through prior online registration. Singer Lee Eun-mi and others will perform during the first part, and the 21st Presidential National Appointment Ceremony will take place in the second part. During the appointment ceremony, the 80 representatives of the public will directly present the appointment letters to President Lee.
As national representatives, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained that the group includes ▲a couple who defended national sovereignty by blocking armored vehicles during impeachment protests ▲the representative of a company involved in the independent artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model project ▲Lee Guk-jong, director of the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital ▲rescue team members ▲director Heo Ga-young, who won first place in the student category at the 78th Cannes Film Festival ▲former head coach Park Hang-seo of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup national team ▲Go player Lee Se-dol, who faced off against AlphaGo in a legendary match ▲and a couple who gave birth to octuplets, Kim Jun-young and Sa Gong-hye-ran.
During the third part of the performance, singers Sandul, Jeong Eun-ji, and Lee Seung-hwan will take the stage, and the idol group IZNA will present their song 'Golden,' featured in the Netflix animation 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' created based on Korean culture.
Kim Han-soo, a senior official of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, noted, 'Although some citizens applied to participate online but were not selected, or want to attend the event but did not receive separate invitations, they can enjoy the festive atmosphere near Gwanghwamun Square, even though there will be no additional seating.' He added, 'As a large crowd is expected, we will do our best to manage the event safely in cooperation with relevant agencies.'