Korea likely to make Aug. 14 a holiday

Overseas Korean students from 29 countries stage a street performance to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the nation’s liberation from the Japan’s colonial rule, at Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Sunday. (Yonhap)

The South Korean government is considering making Aug. 14 an extra public holiday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the nation's liberation from Japan‘s 1910-45 colonial rule, according to reports quoting multiple officials.The plan on issuing an order to close all public offices and agencies, will be discussed during a weekly Cabinet meeting Tuesday and would be finalized a week after. Private companies will be given the choice to follow suit.President Park Geun-hye is expected to express her position on the matter Tuesday. She appears to be positive on the plan, officials said.The plan came as the Aug. 15 Liberation Day holiday falls on Saturday. The government appears to be seeking to boost the public’s sense of national pride by issuing an extra day off, also seeking to stimulate domestic consumption hurt by the outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome and other negative external economic factors.In 2002, the government issued an extra day off to celebrate the Korean national soccer team‘s advancement to the semifinals of the World Cup, and did the same on Sept. 17, 1988 when the country held the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Seoul.By Cho Chung-un ( christory@heraldcorp.com