Seoul to mark 81st Liberation Day with historic bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak pavilion

Participants gather in front of Bosingak Pavilion during a public bell-ringing ceremony in central Seoul to mark Liberation Day, Aug. 15, 2025. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul will mark the 81st anniversary of Liberation Day this Saturday with a public bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak, the historic downtown pavilion, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The holiday commemorates Korea's 1945 liberation from 35 years of Japanese colonial occupation.

Centered on the theme "The sound of liberation awakens the future," the event kicks off at 11:30 am in Jongno District. It features the traditional 33-bell tolling, a nod to the Joseon Dynasty custom where 33 rings at dawn signaled the lifting of the capital's nightly curfew and the opening of its eight gates.

Eleven figures will take turns tolling the bell across three rounds. Joining Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council are nine descendants of independence activists recommended by the Heritage of Korean Independence, the official public association representing Korean independence activists and their surviving descendants. Among them are the daughter of a patriot imprisoned for anti-Japanese resistance and the child of an activist who organized a covert resistance group while studying in Japan.

The event will be hosted by actor Jung Joon-ho, who serves as the Seoul Metropolitan Government's honorary mayor for culture and the arts. Adding special significance to his participation, his wife, Lee Ha-jung, is the maternal granddaughter of Ahn Pil-soo, a dedicated independence activist.

Opening acts include performances by three rising local musicians, followed by "The Desire for Independence," a production staged by 22 university musical theater students. The performance will feature the unfurling of the Jingwansa Taegukgi — a historic national flag discovered during 2009 renovations at Jingwan Temple, believed to date back to the 1919 independence movement.

Following the bell-ringing, the ceremony will wrap up with three traditional "manse" cheers — the iconic rallying cry of independence marchers — and a singalong led by a 100-member mass choir drawn from four local community groups.

Visitors can also try an AI photo booth at the site. Additionally, from Saturday through Nov. 8, the city is launching 13 guided historical walking tours covering key independence sites, including Bosingak, Tapgol Park, and Seodaemun Prison History Hall. Bookings are available through Seoul's public reservation portal (https://yeyak.seoul.go.kr/web/main.do).

To counter the summer heat, officials are setting up indoor cooling stations and distributing bottled water and cooling patches for elderly visitors and children.

"I hope this event serves not only to reflect on the joy of liberation, but also to pass down our history as a inspiring message of hope for future generations," said Min Soo-hong, director general for Public Relations Planning.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.