The United States and Soviet Union agreed on a 3-year trusteeship during which they would oversee the establishment of two different national governments for Korea.Korean Peninsula came for the first time in history under control by a foreign power in 1910, followed by a 35 year long occupation period, which oversaw the attempt at eradicating the Korean culture and language.

The negotiations on August 15th between Lyuh Woon-hyung and Endou Ryuusaku [ja], the representative of Nobuyuki Abe, the Governor-General of Chōsen agreed on the release of all prisoners and the transfer of administrative and judicial control to Korean authorities in turn for the guarantee of safe passage of Japanese citizens.

[8] United States troops landed in mid-September and occupied the Southern part of the country, declaring the provisional government as invalid.

[9][10] The holiday is often celebrated with a military parade on Kim Il Sung Square on jubilee years (ex: 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th anniversaries) with the attendance of the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of North Korea.

The song's lyrics were written by Jeong In-bo (정인보) and the melody by Yoon Yong-ha [ko] (윤용하).

[6] The lyrics speak of "to touch the earth again" and how "the sea dances", how "this day is the remaining trace of 40 years of passionate blood solidified" and to "guard this forever and ever".

[18][19] At 10:23 a.m., 15 August 1974, Mun Se-gwang, a Zainichi Korean and North Korean sympathizer, attempted to assassinate President Park Chung Hee at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul during a Gwangbokjeol ceremony; Park was unharmed but his wife Yuk Young-soo, the First Lady of South Korea, was killed.