North Gyeongsang Province marks 81st Liberation Day with ceremony in Andong

North Gyeongsang Province held a ceremony Saturday to mark the 81st Liberation Day at Dongnak Hall in the provincial government building, drawing more than 700 attendees including descendants of independence patriots, veterans' organizations, overseas Koreans and local residents.

Provincial Governor Lee Cheol-woo was joined by Kim Hui-su, speaker of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council, provincial education superintendent Im Jong-sik, and Jeong Dae-yeong, chairman of the Korean Liberation Association's North Gyeongsang chapter, along with heads of veterans' groups, National Assembly members, mayors, county chiefs, provincial council members and leaders of major civic organizations.

Thirty overseas Koreans with ties to North Gyeongsang Province also attended, adding to the historical significance of the occasion.

North Gyeongsang Province has produced 2,549 officially recognized independence patriots — the most of any province in the country — cementing its reputation as a heartland of the independence movement and national defense.

Attendees paid tribute to the patriots and independence activists who sacrificed their lives to restore national sovereignty, and reflected on the meaning of liberation and the spirit of patriotism alongside young overseas Koreans.

Governor Lee presented commendations to nine recipients — five residents and four civil servants — who have led efforts to promote national symbols and spread a culture of patriotism.

A nationwide petition drive was also held at the ceremony, calling for the posthumous award of the Order of Merit for National Foundation to Yi Sang-nyong, pen name Seokju, who served as the first premier of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

The ceremony closed with all attendees waving the national flag as they sang the Liberation Day anthem together, followed by three rousing cheers of "manse," expressing hopes for the nation's prosperity and provincial unity.

In his address, Governor Lee said North Gyeongsang Province would lead a new leap toward the centenary of liberation through the administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, spearheading the fifth industrial revolution, and fostering a food hallyu industry centered on K-food.