A large-scale event commemorating the 80th anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day will be held in San Francisco, California.

According to the Korean Consulate General in San Francisco and other sources, the ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. on August 16th, 2025, in the Rotunda of San Francisco City Hall. The Korean American Community Center of San Francisco & Bay Area (KACCSF) and other Korean community groups organized the event.

This is the first time that a Liberation Day celebration will be held at the city hall.

“We chose the symbolic location of City Hall to reflect on the historical significance of the 80th anniversary of our Liberation Day,” KACCSF President Hanil Kim said. “Mayor Daniel Lurie responded positively to the proposal from our Korean community.”

Given that August 15th, or Liberation Day, falls on a weekday in the United States, the organizers scheduled the event for the following day, August 16th, to minimize inconvenience for residents.

Around 1,000 people are expected to attend, including members of the Korean community in Northern California, local politicians, and prominent figures.

Lurie and California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis will be present at the event, where there will be performances by Korean traditional dance troupes, a taekwondo demonstration team, and local performance groups, all of which are scheduled to last about three hours.

In particular, the Korean national flag will be flown for the first time at San Francisco City Hall for two days starting on Liberation Day.

On the evening of the following day, the exterior of City Hall will be illuminated with lighting that highlights the taegeuk emblem featured on the Korean flag.

“We prepared this event to raise the Korean community’s profile in Northern California and to instill pride in the next generation of Korean Americans,” Kim said. “We hope this event will help elevate the status of Koreans in the local community.”

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