Detail

`August 15, 1995 marks the 50th anniversary of Korea`s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Following its formal annexation to Japan on August 29, 1910, Korea become a Japanese colony and suffered great hardship under the Japanese political, economic and culture repression. With the ultimate objective of restablishing Korea`s sovereignty, the Korea people put up determined armed resistance against the Japanese at home and overseas. After the Sam-il Independence Movement in 1919, Korean patriots outside Korea joined forces to set up the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, China. It proclaimed itself as the sole legitimate government of the Korean people and carried on the overall struggle for independence in a systematic manner. This tremendous effort and the allied victory in World War Ⅱ brought and an end to Japanese rule in Korea on August 15, 1945. The euphoria of the moment was shortlived, however, as the ensuing Soviet-US occupation of Korea and their superpower rivalry led to the division of the peninsula into two separate Korean states and ultimately to the tragic fratricide of the Korean War. Despite these trials and tribulations, the Korean people have managed to achieve economic prosperity and have even established democracy with their indomitable spirit. The government is pushing ahead with a pannational project to celcbrate the 50th anniversary of Korea`s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. The celebration will include a variety of commemorative events, academic symposiums, and the restoration of historic sites assocoated with the independence movement. The last five decades will thus be thrown into a fresh light, and a future vision of Korea will be presented. As this 50th anniversary will clearly be one of the great celebrations of all time in Korea, the Ministry of Information and Communication has issued two commemorative stamps in the expectation that the Korean people will soon achieve reunification of the Korean peninsular and their full potential to play an active and meaningful role in the rapidly changing world order.`