If They Had Lived to See 'Gwangbok'... Imagining the Figures of Patriots Ahn Jung-geun and Yu Gwan-sun [Video]

8·15 Liberation Day Commemorative Content

Patriots who sacrificed their lives for the country to gain independence can now be seen, at least through artificial intelligence (AI), receiving the gift of liberation.

The YouTube channel ‘Ha-il-gwang’ recently released content titled ‘When we conveyed liberation to independence activists frozen in photos using AI, this kind of video was created’ to commemorate the August 15 Liberation Day.

Source=YouTube 'Ha Ilgwang'

The 44-second video shows independence activists Ahn Jung-geun, Kim Gu, Yu Gwan-sun, Kim Maria, Hong Beom-do, Yoon Bong-gil, and Kim Won-bong smiling brightly and raising both hands above their heads in a cheer of “manse” (hurrah).

Source=YouTube 'Ha Ilgwang'

The background music is special as well. It features the national anthem sung by Oh Hee-ok, a third-generation patriot. Oh’s grandfather was militia leader Oh In-su, her father was Liberation Army General Oh Gwang-seon, and her mother Jeong Hyeon-sook and sister Oh Hee-young were also independence activists.

Source=YouTube 'Ha Ilgwang'

Ha-il-gwang explained the reason for producing the video: “We thought the independence activists frozen in time would be happy if we conveyed liberation to them through AI.” He also added, “We hope they join us from the sky with bright smiles instead of the heavy expressions in the photos.”

The response has been enthusiastic. As of the morning of the 15th, the video has surpassed 120,000 views and received over 3,000 comments. Comments included, “It gives strength and comfort,” “Please protect this country from the sky as well,” and “Seeing the independence activists cheering brings tears to my eyes.”