SK Telecom releases Liberation Day remastering video

South Korea's SK Telecom Co. restored footage and audio from around the time of the country's liberation in 1945, allowing modern audiences to share in the emotional moment of liberation.

SK Telecom announced on Wednesday that, in commemoration of the 79th Liberation Day this year, it has used its artificial intelligence (AI) technology to carry out a project "815 Remastering, which restores scenes from the period right after liberation.

The original content used in the project includes footage of Seoul streets after liberation in 1945 and a recording of the Korean national anthem from 1942.

The newly produced 815 Remastering video, which combines the enhanced versions of these two pieces of content, can be viewed on SK Telecom's official YouTube channel.

The recently restored footage is a 28-second clip from August 16, 1945, showing the streets of Seoul filled with crowds celebrating the day after liberation. It captures the moment when many people, unaware of the liberation on August 15, poured into the streets on the 16th.

SK Telecom utilized its AI media enhancement solution Supernova to convert low-quality footage into high-quality video.

The company also improved the audio of what is believed to be the oldest surviving recording of the Korean national anthem.

This recording was included in an album produced and distributed by the Korean National Association on August 29, 1942, on National Humiliation Day, to strengthen the resolve for independence. The original recording is currently housed in the Independence Hall of Korea.

The company removed background noise and restored the vocal track.

SK Telecom plans to display the enhanced content at the Independence Hall of Korea.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com