DPRK, South Korea Celebrate Liberation Day

Delegates of about 220 South Korean organizations flocked to Pyongyang Wednesday to celebrate with their compatriots in the north the 56th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

On August 15, 1945, Japanese invaders surrendered and retreated from the peninsula. To memorize the history, August 15 is remembered as the Liberation Day ever since.

To give the first Liberation Day in the new century more significance, the north and the south reached consensus beforehand to hold a grand festival for national reunification on the Liberation Day this year.

Wednesday's opening ceremony for the festival was held in front of the newly erected monument for the three charters for national reunification in the capital. President Kim Yong Nan of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yong Sun, and representatives of north and south political groups, overseas delegates, and people from all walks of life in Pyongyang joined in the festival.

Vice President of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Dae delivered a morale-inspiring speech on the occasion, stressing the 2001 grand festival held by both sides in the peninsula demonstrated the unshakable determination and will of all the people for national reunification.

Through the festival, the two sides will gain more confidence in national reunification, and push forward the struggle to accomplish the historic cause of national reunification under the banner of the north-south joint declaration, Kim said.

The June 15 north-south joint declaration, reached by the heads of the two states, is a milestone for independent national reunification, he said.

In conclusion, he called on the two sides to defend the cause of reunification from outside interference and work together to this end.

An art performance was given to celebrate the opening of the festival.

At the end of the ceremony, delegates from the north, south and overseas planted trees around the monument.

Various activities will be held during the celebrations, including a rally, a pan-national meeting, a meeting of delegates, a forum, an exhibition and art performance.






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