From Shopping to Movie Watching... Yoon's Weekend Routine Always 'By the Citizens' Side'

Five Times Communicated with Citizens on Weekends and Holidays Since Inauguration
Presidential Office "Will Continue On-Site Visits Among Citizens Throughout Term"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Since President Yoon Seok-yeol's inauguration on the 10th of last month, he has been holding weekly schedules to naturally interact with citizens. As the first president to leave the Blue House, President Yoon plans to continue these activities steadily, not just as an early inauguration event.

According to the Presidential Office on the 13th, President Yoon has spent at least five out of five weekends and two public holidays (the June 1 local elections and Memorial Day) living daily life like ordinary citizens since his inauguration.

The day before, President Yoon and his wife, First Lady Kim Geon-hee, watched "Broker," the Best Actor award-winning film at the Cannes International Film Festival, at Megabox Seongsu in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

Wearing a navy jacket, gray pants, and a white shirt, President Yoon and First Lady Kim, dressed in a checkered short-sleeve blouse and black skirt, purchased tickets through general reservation like ordinary citizens and entered the theater carrying popcorn. After watching the movie, President Yoon expressed his intention to continue communicating with citizens on weekends, saying, "I should always mingle with citizens and have the appearance of an ordinary citizen, not just as the president."

Since his first weekend after inauguration, President Yoon has engaged in five weekend visits among citizens. On the 14th of last month, he visited Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with First Lady Kim, bought tteokbokki and sundae to take away, and then purchased shoes at Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch in Seocho-gu.

Also, after seeing off U.S. President Joe Biden’s departure on the 22nd of last month following the Korea-U.S. summit, President Yoon had a late lunch with his aides at a restaurant in Yongsan in private, then attended the KBS Open Concert commemorating the opening of the Blue House with First Lady Kim.

In this month as well, except for the first weekend when the National Security Council (NSC) was held due to North Korea’s ballistic missile launch, President Yoon’s weekend citizen engagements have continued every week. On the first weekend of this month, if not for North Korea’s missile provocation, he was scheduled to participate in a Han River trash cleanup event with First Lady Kim.

On the 1st of this month, the day of the 8th local elections, President Yoon wore a T-shirt and hat bearing the official name of the Cheonan ship, PCC-722, and toured the Blue House grounds and fortress wall paths. On the 11th of this month, photos of him visiting a bakery in Seoul with First Lady Kim were posted online.

President Yoon is also increasing contact with citizens on weekdays. From visiting a senior center and playground in Samgakji, where the Presidential Office building is located, on his inauguration day, to recently having lunch at a pizza place in Jongno and taking a walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Except for events attended by some aides, such as movie viewings, President Yoon’s weekend schedules are not disclosed to the Presidential Office and are revealed later through photos taken by citizens. When photos of President Yoon and his wife visiting markets and department stores were posted online by citizens, the Presidential Office also belatedly began to assess the situation.

A Presidential Office official said, "In the early days of the inauguration, some of President Yoon’s activities were known from the citizens to the Presidential Office rather than from the office to the public, which was chaotic, but now we have adapted." He added, "President Yoon leaving the Blue House, which felt like a royal palace, and setting up his office in Yongsan shows his intention to relinquish the presidential autocratic power and be with the citizens, so this is expected to continue throughout his term."

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