President Yoon Suk Yeol marked his first year in office Wednesday with a visit to the National Cemetery and lunch with ruling party leaders, vowing to make changes and reforms more palpable in the second year.
Yoon started the day by visiting the cemetery in Seoul where the nation's war veterans, independence fighters, past presidents and others are laid to rest.
During the visit, he was joined by leaders of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and presidential staff, and after laying flowers and burning incense in front of a memorial, he signed a guest book with the words: "Together with the great people, I will create a country of freedom and innovation, a country that responsibly contributes to world peace and prosperity."
Yoon later had lunch with the party officials, including PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon and floor leader Yun Jae-ok, at the presidential office.
"The past year was a process of correcting the wrong direction of state affairs in broad terms," he was quoted as saying by presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.
"There wasn't enough time for our people to feel the change and reforms in the past year," he added. "In my second year, I will speed up to make sure the people can personally feel the change."
Yoon said it takes time and effort to rebuild something that has collapsed but that he is certain the country is heading in the right direction.
He also vowed to focus on the economy and people's livelihood matters in the coming year, including by placing economic issues at the center of foreign policy and establishing the rule of law in labor-management relations.
Later in the day, Yoon dropped by the press room of the presidential office.
"I want to ask the press to accurately point things out in the coming year as well, and in the event we're going in the wrong direction, or if we're moving too fast or too slowly, to lead our government well with your good comments and accurate articles," he said.
Yoon was asked by a reporter if he plans to meet more often with reporters, as such opportunities have been reduced since the suspension of his near-daily Q&A sessions with them last November.
"I will make a lot of effort," he said simply.
Earlier in the day, Yoon posted a video on his social media accounts with a message that he will continue to work only for the people as he marks his first year in office.
"It was a year of running breathlessly to create a new country of the people," he wrote on his Instagram account. "I will continue to work with only the people in mind."
The accompanying video showed slides of key events during his first year, including his meetings with foreign leaders and attendance at ceremonies.
The same video, with a running time of 2 minutes and 42 seconds, was posted to his Facebook account.
Source: Yonhap News Agency