Koreans Celebrate 74 Years of Independence at New York City Hall

Story and photos by Shirley Ng

New York City celebrated Korean Independence Day from Japanese rule in the City Hall Chambers yesterday.  It was seventy-four years ago on August 13, 1945 that Korea was liberated from the allies when the Japanese surrendered, marking the end of World War II. Korean Independence Day has been traditionally celebrated two days later on August 15.

The celebration began with the National Anthem sung by the children’s choir from the Long Island Korean School. They wore traditional Korean clothing called the ‘hanbok.”

Complementary Korean food such as japchae, pork buns, crab cakes and more were served in the rotunda before the celebration began.

Opening remarks by Hyo-Sung Park, the Ambassador of The Republic of Korea spoke about the current independence and growing economy of South Korean and to “never forget” this day.

The Korean Traditional Folk Song Association sang and performed a drum dance. The children’s choir sang an additional Korean song to end the evening. 

NYC Council Member Paul Vallone led the evening and honored the following organizations for their work and dedication to the Korean community; The Korean American Family Service Center, Kwang Bok Association of New York, The Korean American Association of Greater New York and The National Unification Advisory Council New York Chapter.  

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