Transition Committee "Inauguration Ceremony Invitation Scale Confirmed at 41,000... Park Geun-hye Also Invited"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The scale of invitations for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony has been finalized at 41,000 people. The Presidential Transition Committee (Transition Committee) plans to invite not only former President Park Geun-hye but also the families of former presidents.

On the morning of the 22nd at the Transition Committee press conference hall in Tongui-dong, Seoul, Kim Yeon-ju, spokesperson for the Presidential Inauguration Preparation Committee of the Transition Committee, stated, "Yesterday, the Inauguration Preparation Committee held a full meeting and finalized the total number of invitations for the inauguration ceremony at 41,000. This is a significantly increased number compared to the scale originally planned based on the existing quarantine guidelines."

Spokesperson Kim explained that the specific number of detailed invitees, such as general participants or specially invited citizens, is still under discussion. For general participation, a lottery will be held on the 25th among citizens who applied through the Transition Committee’s website, and the results will be announced on the 29th on the same website. Subsequently, invitation letters will begin to be mailed starting from the 2nd of next month.

The Inauguration Preparation Committee plans to hold the Boshingak bell-ringing event and a visit to the National Cemetery starting from the 10th of next month, when the presidential term officially begins. Spokesperson Kim said, "At midnight on May 10th, there will be a bell-ringing event at Boshingak to mark the start of the term. In the morning, a simple congratulatory event will be held in front of the president-elect’s residence, followed by a visit to the National Cemetery. At this time, a pre-ceremony event will take place in the front yard of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, and the main ceremony will be held upon the arrival of the president-elect."

In the afternoon, a modest commemorative event marking the opening of the Yongsan office era will be held, along with a celebratory banquet and dinner for major domestic figures and foreign guests, conducted according to precedent and tradition. Prior to the inauguration, as a pre-campaign under the theme "An Inauguration Made Together with the People," programs such as the children's drawing festival "Children Dreaming of the Republic of Korea" and a national video participation contest will be held.

Regarding the invitation of former President Park Geun-hye to the inauguration, Spokesperson Kim said, "Since President-elect Yoon personally visited and expressed his intention to invite her to the inauguration, I believe there will be no clearer expression of intent than that. If necessary, Chairman Park Joo-sun of the Inauguration Preparation Committee can directly extend the invitation or deliver the invitation letter, keeping all possibilities open, but no concrete discussions are currently underway."

Concerning the invitation of families of former presidents, such as Mrs. Kwon Yang-sook, wife of former President Roh Moo-hyun, and Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok, wife of former President Lee Myung-bak, Spokesperson Kim mentioned, "Rather than inviting any specific family member, I would like to point out that invitations will be extended to the bereaved families of former presidents in accordance with past practices."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.