Independence Day: Six nations including India, Korea celebrate freedom on August 15

NEW DELHI. Not many people know that parallel with India, five more nations across the globe celebrate August 15 as their Independence Day as they achieved freedom on this day.

As India celebrates its 74th Independence Day today, it is South Korea’s 72nd National Liberation Day on August 15, 2020.

Besides India, South Korea, North Korea, Bahrain, Kongo, and Liechtenstein, too, fetched freedom from the clutches of their respective colonial rulers on this day, common to them all.

If India and Bahrain won freedom from the colonial rule of Britishers on August 15, 1947, and 1971 respectively, Korea (the then united nation) snatched independence from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, on this day. The nation was further divided into South and North Korea in 1948.

World’s sixth smallest nation Liechtenstein commemorates its liberation from German rule in 1866 while Congo got freedom in 1960 from the French rule after 80 years of possession.

However, every nation celebrates August 15 in different names.

If India terms August 15 as ‘Independence Day’, for the South and North Korea it’s called ‘National Liberation Day’.

India won independence in 1947 when Britain divided the country into two nations and carved out Pakistan as a separate nation. Pakistan celebrates Independence Day on August 14, a day before India.

‘National Liberation Day ‘is the only common holiday celebrated by South and North Korea. On this day of August 15, Japan’s colonial rules ended following its surrender during World War II. The day is also known as ‘Victory over Japan Day’.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo terms August 15 as ‘Congolese National Day’.