President Lee Jae Myung will deliver a special address on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of last year’s Dec. 3 martial law crisis, the presidential office said Sunday, saying that the administration plans to use the occasion to underscore what it describes as the restoration of democracy and the public’s role in overcoming the political turmoil.
Lee Kyu-yeon, the presidential secretary for communication and public relations, told reporters during a briefing the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, that the president will hold “calm but meaningful” events to commemorate what the government has framed as the “revolution of Light.”
According to the presidential office, the upcoming address will highlight the public’s efforts in “turning a moment of extreme chaos into peace through the outcry that confronted those who stood against the candlelight,” a reference to the mass demonstrations that followed the declaration of martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol last year.
Following the address, President Lee will hold a press conference with foreign journalists under the theme focused on the restoration of democracy.
Later that day, President Lee will host a luncheon with the heads of the five highest constitutional institutions. The invitees are National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, Constitutional Court Chief Kim Sang-hwan, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and National Election Commission Chairperson Roh Tae-ak. The meeting comes as the government seeks to reinforce cooperation among branches of power in the year ahead, a message the administration has repeatedly emphasized since taking office in July this year.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
