President Lee Jae-myung visited Gwangju on the 18th to meet residents and had lunch with market merchants. According to the Blue House, the presidential couple attended the 46th anniversary May 18 Democratization Movement commemoration ceremony in Gwangju, toured the former South Jeolla Provincial Government building, and then headed to Namgwangju Market. Following surprise visits last week to markets in Ulsan and Seongnam, and joining farmers in TK (Daegu-North Gyeongsang) for rice planting and a snack break, the schedule further strengthens contact with citizens.
At the ceremony, Lee said, "We must proudly engrave the democratic ideals of the May 18 Democratization Movement above the Constitution of the Republic of Korea," and added, "As this has been a continuing promise to the people by all political circles, transcending political interests, I earnestly ask for bipartisan cooperation and determination from both the ruling and opposition parties." On the 8th, the constitutional amendment bill was voted down at the National Assembly's plenary session due to opposition from the People Power Party, and Lee meant that the People Power Party should join a vote on the amendment later on.
After the ceremony, Lee visited the recently restored former South Jeolla Provincial Government building to congratulate its opening and viewed the exhibition. He then visited Namgwangju Market, where he bought bukkumi and a backscratcher, shook hands with residents and merchants, and agreed to photo requests. He also had lunch with the head of the merchants' association at a restaurant in the market specializing in dried radish greens and pollock, and listened to briefings on store operations and the business climate, the Blue House said.
Ahn Gwi-ryeong, a deputy spokesperson for the Blue House, said the schedule was arranged "to visit a traditional market in Gwangju where memories of the May 18 Democratization Movement remain alive, to share the painful memories with residents, and to hear directly from merchants who are struggling due to the economic downturn."
With local elections set for Jun. 3, Lee has recently increased communication with residents at traditional markets and elsewhere. After visiting Seoul's Namdaemun Market in Jung District on the 8th, Lee paid a surprise visit to Nammok Maseong Market on the 13th after a meeting on K-shipbuilding in Ulsan. The next day, after a meeting with the Saemaeul Central Association in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, he headed to Moran Market, which was not on the schedule, and on the 15th he met in succession an elementary school teacher and alumni, officials at the Daegu-North Gyeongsang integrated new airport construction site, and farmers who had begun rice planting in TK. There, Lee helped with rice planting in the countryside and held a snack-time meeting with farmers.