S. Korea poised for Lee Jae Myung's formal inauguration ceremony on Liberation Day
The ceremony for Lee, who assumed the role of head of state on July 4 immediately after his presidential election victory, will align with the 80th anniversary of National Liberation Day, when Korea was liberated from Imperial Japan's colonial rule in 1945.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. at the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. It will follow the commemoration of National Liberation Day at 10 a.m. at the nearby Sejong Cultural Center.
According to the Interior Ministry, the upcoming inauguration ceremony is designed to allow select participants to share their hopes and wishes with the president. The event will also highlight the concept of "popular sovereignty" under the Lee administration.
The ministry said it would accept applications to participate in the inauguration ceremony online from Monday to noon on Friday.
On the day of Lee's appointment on June 4, a ceremony was briefly held indoors at the National Assembly before some 300 guests.
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