\uad11\ubcf5\uc808\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is a \uad6d\uacbd\uc77c<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(national holiday) that have celebrated on August 15th<\/sup>of every year. Direct translation of \uad11\ubcf5\uc808<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>means \u201cthe light restoration day.\u201d It is the day that Koreans have celebrated restoration of their \uc815\ubd80\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/strong>(government) and \uc790\uc720<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span>(freedom) from Japanese occupation in 1945. Not only celebrating restoration of the country, it also celebrates the \uc124\ub9bd\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/strong>(establishment) of the Republic of Korea, South Korean government, in 1948. On the day of \uad11\ubcf5\uc808<\/span><\/em><\/strong>, government organizations, stores, and homes will display \ud0dc\uadf9\uae30\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/strong>(Korean flags) outside the buildings, and there will be many \uacf5\uc2dd<\/span>\ud589\uc0ac\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/strong><\/span>(official ceremonies) and \ud589\uc9c4\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/strong>(parades). South Korean government has traditionally pardoned prisoners on\u00a0\uad11\ubcf5\uc808<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n An interesting fact about \uad11\ubcf5\uc808 \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong>is that\u00a0 it is one of the few public holidays both North and South Koreas celebrate.<\/p>\n Photo by KLM<\/p><\/div>\n Historical Background of \uad11\ubcf5\uc808\u00a0<\/span><\/em>[kwang-bok-jeol]<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Korea is a \ubc18\ub3c4\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(peninsula) that is located in East Asia. It had been a strategic location to become a springboard or a blockage that many major powers could advance further by land or sea. Due to its geographical location, for a small country, Korean peninsula had historically faced countless \ucda9\ub3cc<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(conflicts) and encountered numerous \uce68\ub7b5\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(invasions) from many neighboring countries such as \uc911\uad6d\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(China), \ub7ec\uc2dc\uc544\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(Russia), and \uc77c\ubcf8<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(Japan) by land and sea.<\/p>\n Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was under Japanese rule, and it was a dark period for the Korean nation. The\u00a0\ud55c\uad6d\uc5b4\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(Korean language) was suppressed, and Koreans were forced to learn the \uc77c\ubcf8\uc5b4<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(Japanese language) and use Japanese names as well. Korean men were forced to work in Japanese \uacf5\uc7a5\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(factories), and during the wartime mobilization in 1937-1945, Korean men were enlisted to serve in the Imperial Japanese army while Korean women were drafted to serve as \uc704\uc548\ubd80\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(comfort women) for Japanese \uad70\uc778\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong>(soldiers). Due to these historical backgrounds, you will often see rising tensions between Japan and Korea on the News.<\/p>\n For a small country, Korea had been historically placed in the center of the storm of the major powers due to strategic interests. When you consider Korea\u2019s past history, you will understand why \uad11\ubcf5\uc808\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span>is one of the special national holidays in Korea, and why Japan and Korea struggle to overcome their past scars.<\/p>\n \uac10\uc0ac\ud569\ub2c8\ub2e4!<\/em><\/span>\u00a0(Thank you!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pretty soon, the streets around the country will be flooded with Korean flags, since one of the important holidays in Korea is around the corner. What is\u00a0\uad11\ubcf5\uc808[kwang-bok-jeol]? \uad11\ubcf5\uc808\u00a0\u00a0is a \uad6d\uacbd\uc77c\u00a0(national holiday) that have celebrated on August 15thof every year. Direct translation of \uad11\ubcf5\uc808\u00a0\u00a0means \u201cthe light restoration day.\u201d It is the day that Koreans have celebrated…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2018\/08\/What-Does-\u201cKwangbokjeol\u201d-Mean-in-Korean-350x162.jpg\")