A Symbolic Event Replacing the Skipped Inauguration
The event, held 72 days after Lee took office, carried special significance. Because the snap presidential election left no time for a traditional inauguration, this ceremony symbolized the official start of the “People’s Sovereignty Government.”
Over 10,000 attendees, including 80 citizen representatives, special invitees, leading government officials, civic leaders, and ordinary citizens, filled Gwanghwamun Square. However, the conservative People Power Party and the Reform Party were notably absent.
Citizens Deliver “Letters of Appointment”
One of the ceremony’s highlights was when 80 citizens—ranging from independence activists’ families to cultural figures and everyday heroes—placed personally written “letters of appointment” on stage.
Among them, four citizen representatives personally handed their letters to the president and First Lady:
Mok Jang-gyun, son of independence fighter Mok Yeon-uk,
Dr. Lee Guk-jong, director of the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital,
Lee Yeon-su, CEO of NC AI, who led the AI Foundation Model Project,
Hur Ka-young, a student filmmaker who won Korea’s first top prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Student Section.
President Lee expressed his deep sense of duty: “Receiving these appointment letters filled with the people’s earnest wishes is an endless honor, and also a profound responsibility.”
Vision for a People-Centered Nation
Lee reaffirmed his philosophy: “The strength of the people is the strength of the nation.” He stressed that unlocking citizens’ potential will fuel national growth: “When each of Korea’s 52 million citizens lives happily, national power grows—and that power must be shared by all in a nation truly owned by its people.”
He further vowed to create a safe country where tragedies will not repeat: “I will wipe away the tears of disaster victims’ families and fulfill the wish of residents in the DMZ’s Daeseong-dong Village who long to live without fear of war.”
Messages on North Korea and Japan
Lee’s speech echoed his Liberation Day address earlier, where he described inter-Korean relations as “a tangled skein of thread.” He promised to restore dialogue with Pyongyang, reinstate the September 19 Military Agreement, and pursue reconciliation without seeking “regime collapse or absorption unification.”
On Japan relations, Lee emphasized cooperation: “Japan is our close neighbor with whom we share the same yard, and an inseparable partner in economic development.”
First Large-Scale National Participation Event
The People’s Inauguration Ceremony is being hailed as the first major national participation event of the Lee Jae-myung administration, reflecting his leadership theme of listening and integration.
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