South Korea is poised to hold an official inauguration ceremony on Aug. 15 for President Lee Jae Myung, according to the government and the presidential office on Monday.
The ceremony for Lee, who assumed the presidency on June 4 immediately after his election victory -- without the customary transition period or ceremony -- will align with the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, commemorated annually as National Liberation Day.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. It will follow the commemoration of National Liberation Day at 10 a.m. at the nearby Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
"Lee promised on June 4 that he would only take the oath of office without a separate inauguration ceremony and would later hold a national inauguration ceremony with the people," Woo Sang-ho, Lee's senior secretary for political affairs, told reporters Monday.
Woo added that during the ceremony Lee will express his commitment to upholding the sovereign will of the people.
According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the upcoming inauguration ceremony will be designed to allow members of the public 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, June 4, a brief ceremony was held indoors at the National Assembly before some 300 guests.
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