Stress balls, runs, cosplay: How young Koreans are marking Liberation Day in their own unique ways

Young Koreans are marking Liberation Day this Saturday in unique and playful ways. Kim Ha-eun, 33, a "fangirl" of King Sejong, is hosting a "Wipe Out Pro-Japanese Collaborators Café — Mock all Traitors!" event in a rented café, inspired by K-pop fandom culture. The event includes stress balls shaped like livers with the name of noted Japanese collaborator Lee Wan-yong, fidget clickers shaped like Yi Sun-sin's turtle ships, and tea coasters with warped images of Lee's face.

The "Liberation Day" Comic World event from Saturday to Sunday allows comic fans to cosplay or sell fan merch, with booths dedicated to the Korean national flag or liberation. Participants plan to cosplay as independence fighters or righteous soldiers, and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs released new running courses based on records of Korean freedom fighters.

The 815 Run for charity, organized by Habitat for Humanity Korea, will also take place, with all participation fees and donations going towards home improvements for descendants of independence activists. Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, believes that younger generations using their interests to honor independence activists and Liberation Day is a positive development in history education.