The Reason Why President Yoon's 'Jumeokbap' Menu Was 'Unconventional'

"Gwangju Jumeokbap Carries Meaning of 'Sharing Community'... Kindergarten and Government Office Lunch Menu Jumeokbap"
Five Campaign Rallies in Honam During Election...Considered 'Unusual'
Wears Sky Blue Tie at Inauguration and Policy Speech... "Signifies Importance of Cooperation"

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the 42nd anniversary ceremony of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement held on the morning of the 18th at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and led the singing of the "March for the Beloved." [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] As the meaning of the 'jumeokbap' (rice ball) that President Yoon Suk-yeol ate for lunch on the KTX train returning to Seoul after attending the 42nd anniversary Gwangju Democratization Movement memorial ceremony at the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery in Gwangju became known, attention is drawn to President Yoon's will for 'national unity.'

On the 18th, Jo Su-jin, a member of the People Power Party, posted on her Facebook, "The lunch that President Yoon and the attendees of the 5·18 Gwangju Democratization Movement memorial ceremony ate together on the KTX train returning to Seoul was a jumeokbap lunchbox," adding, "Preparing jumeokbap lunchboxes as the lunch menu also contained meaning and sincerity."

Jo said, "On May 21, 1980, when the martial law troops isolated Gwangju, citizens started cooking rice and sharing it with the citizen army," explaining, "Housewives hung cauldrons near major roads and made jumeokbap to provide to the citizen army, and supermarkets and small shops generously offered bread, milk, and drinks for free. Instead of hoarding food, people brought what they had at home and shared it."

Jo also shared a photo of the menu board at the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education cafeteria, saying, "Today in Gwangju, from kindergarten children to government offices, the lunch menu was jumeokbap," and explained, "Gwangju's jumeokbap embodies the meaning of a 'sharing community.'"

With President Yoon repeatedly emphasizing his will for 'national unity' at the 5·18 Democratization Movement memorial ceremony held that morning, attention is focused on whether he will continue this course. President Yoon attended the ceremony for the first time as a conservative government president and mentioned 'unity' twice in his commemorative speech. Entering through the 'Gate of Democracy,' the main gate of the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, President Yoon shook hands back and forth with Hwang Il-bong, chairman of the 5·18 Injured Association, and Park Geum-sook, a bereaved family member of 5·18, while leading the singing of the 'March for the Beloved,' symbolizing the 5·18 Democratization Movement.

During the 20th presidential election campaign, President Yoon was also evaluated as having unusually focused on Honam as a conservative candidate. During the official campaign period, Yoon held five rallies in Honam and shouted in the heart of Gwangju, "As a political newcomer, I am the right person to inherit the spirit of DJ (Kim Dae-jung)." He targeted the votes of Honam's 2030 generation by pledging to attract a complex shopping mall in Gwangju and made headlines as the first conservative candidate to visit the birthplace of former President Kim Dae-jung on Haedo Island, Sinan, Jeollanam-do.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking the oath of office at the 20th presidential inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly on the 10th./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

At the inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly on the 10th and the National Assembly policy speech on the 16th, he wore a sky-blue tie to convey the importance of 'cooperation.' According to political circles, a person related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee said, "The tie was coordinated by Mrs. Kim," adding, "It meant that cooperation is important."

On the 11th, when he first commuted from his private residence to the office, he said, "Some people pointed out that the inauguration speech yesterday lacked talk of unity, but (unity) is too obvious," adding, "Unity is the process of national unity itself in our political process," and said, "I was talking about what values I would pursue through unity. Please understand it that way."