Children run while holding Taegeukgi, the Korean national flag, outside Chonnam National University in Buk District, South Jeolla, on Aug. 13.YONHAP
Saturday marks Korea’s 81st Liberation Day, with events and programs planned across the country to commemorate the anniversary.
From tours of historic sites to special exhibitions and cultural events, the programs offer opportunities to learn about the country’s independence movement and reflect on the meaning of the holiday. Aug. 15 falls on a Saturday this year, with Monday designated as a substitute public holiday.
Here are some events and programs to check out over the three-day weekend.
In Seoul, a bell-ringing ceremony will take place Saturday to commemorate the anniversary. Nine descendants of independence fighters will take part in the ceremony. Busking performances and hands-on activities, including lantern making and caricature drawing, will also be held every Saturday in August.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government willadditionally host a special walking program Saturday that traces sites associated with the independence movement against Japanese colonial rule. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the tour will take participants around Jongno in central Seoul, including Tapgol Park; Seungdong Church; the former site of Taehwagwan, where the declaration of independence was proclaimed during the March 1 Movement in 1919; and the site of independence fighter Kim Sang-ok’s 1923 armed resistance against Japanese police. Booking for the program was closed on Thursday morning.
On Friday, the eve of the Liberation Day, a “hanok concert” will take place at Unhyeon Palace, featuring a blend of traditional Korean performing arts and electronic music. Hanok is a traditional Korean house.
A festival commemorating the anniversary will take place over the weekend around the Seodaemun Prison History Museum and Independence Park in western Seoul. Seodaemun Prison was built during the Japanese colonial period and held numerous activists involved in the independence movement.
Visitors to the area will be able to watch performances including taekwondo demonstrations, choir performances, house dance and magic shows.
People walk past a mural featuring independence activists in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 12.YONHAP
The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has prepared a special feature on its Visit Korea website highlighting 20 historic sites worth visiting during the holiday. Among them are the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government and the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong.
The site also provides information on special exhibitions being held at memorial facilities nationwide, including the Daegu Modern History Museum, Manhae Hall and the Hwaseong Independence Movement Memorial Hall.
KTO has also introduced the 2026 “Memory Check-In” stamp tour, organized in conjunction with the Independence Hall of Korea. Visitors who collect stamps by visiting 90 memorial facilities across the country can receive a commemorative gift.
Books, plants and holiday perks
For those looking for a quieter way to spend the long weekend, the Seoul Outdoor Library along Cheonggyecheon will reopen temporarily from Friday through Sunday. The library will operate from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day.
The outdoor library has been suspended since July because of the summer heat and is scheduled to officially reopen Sept. 4. The Seoul Metropolitan Library is also holding a special book curation throughout August to mark the Liberation Day.
At the World Materials Room on the fourth floor of the Seoul Metropolitan Library, the monthlong exhibition features literature, historical records and photographs covering colonial rule and independence movements around the world, offering a look at the meaning of freedom and independence from a global historical perspective.
Outside Seoul, three national arboretums will open free of charge throughout the holiday weekend, from Friday through Monday: Baekdudaegan National Arboretum in Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang; Sejong National Arboretum in Sejong; and the National Botanic Garden of Korean Native Plants in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon.
A bumblebee collects pollen from a mugunghwa, Korea's national flower, in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Aug. 11.YONHAP
The Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute said admission fees at the three facilities will be waived during the holiday to help visitors reflect on the meaning of the national holiday while providing places for rest and recreation. Paid facilities such as trams will still require separate fees.
At Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, a special exhibition on mugunghwa, Korea's national flower which is also called the Rose of Sharon, will explore the flower’s history during the Japanese colonial period.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has also partnered with stationery maker Monami and photo booth company Photoism on Liberation Day-themed products.
Monami will release pens featuring quotes from poet Yun Dong-ju, independence activist Ahn Jung-geun, poet Yi Yuk-sa and independence activist Yu Gwan-sun. Photoism will offer special photo frames featuring the Korean national flag from Friday through Monday.
Getting help during the holiday
For residents and visitors who need information during the long weekend, Seoul’s 120 Dasan Call Center will operate around the clock, including nights, weekends and public holidays.
The center can provide information on medical issues, transportation and events, including those taking place along the Han River. Calls can be made by dialing 120 from landlines in Seoul or 02-120 from mobile phones and outside Seoul.
Dasan Call Center's text consultations, visual automated response services, social media,the Seoul Talk chatbot and the Seoul Smart Complaint app will also be available 24 hours a day.
A person walks past a billboard commemorating Liberation Day outside the Seoul Metropolitan Library in central Seoul on Aug. 10.YONHAP
From Aug. 15 to 17 last year, the center received 32,209 inquiries across its channels, including phone, text and chatbot.
Drivers should also note that highway tolls will not be automatically waived during the Liberation Day holiday.
Under current law, toll exemptions apply to the day before, the day of and the day after Seollal and Chuseok. Other dates can be designated for toll exemptions separately following deliberation by the Cabinet.
No separate government announcement has been made to waive highway tolls for this year’s Liberation Day holiday, so normal tolls will apply.
