On Korea's Liberation Day, a drone show calls for reunification
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- As South Korea commemorated the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule on Friday, a festival on the banks of Seoul's Han River called for the unification of the divided Peninsula.
The Korean Dream Hangang Festa featured music, fireworks and a show of over 1,200 drones that lit up the night sky with messages of hope for reunification.
Former South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan led the organizing committee for the event, which carried the theme "Beyond the Miracle on the Han River, to National Harmony and a Unified Korea."
"This is not a festival -- it is the starting point of a meaningful journey toward the epochal ideal of the Korean dream," Chung said in opening remarks Friday.
The Aug. 15 anniversary not only marks Korean liberation, Chung noted, but also the beginning of the division between the two Koreas.
"We stand at a crucial turning point," Chung said. "The Korean dream is a vision that transcends a history of division and conflict, building a new narrative of reconciliation and shared growth."
As evening fell, a swarm of drones created images including the Korean Peninsula, the Korean flag and the modern skyline of Seoul, while spelling out phrases such as "One Korea." Thousands of citizens donated to help fund the event, organizers said, with many sponsoring individual drones.
The festival also unveiled a new song, "Korean Dream: Come, O Glorious Light," performed by the quartet Son E Ji U.
The event's call for unification comes during a low period in inter-Korean relations. In October, North Korea revised its Constitution to declare the South a "hostile state" after leader Kim Jong Un called for the rejection of the long-held official goal of reunification.
Earlier on Friday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung made a pitch for improved ties with the North, saying in his Liberation Day address that Seoul has "respect" for North Korea's political system and would not seek "unification by absorption."
Pyongyang has continued to rebuff Seoul's recent overtures, however. On Thursday, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, called the efforts at reconciliation a "pipedream."
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