President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a church service Sunday, marking the 1919 independence movement against Japanese colonial rule, his office said.

Yoon’s visit to Wonchon Baptist Church in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, came five days before the nation marks the anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement.

He is the first sitting president to attend a church service honoring the movement, according to presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung.

“One hundred and five years ago, our patriotic martyrs gathered their convictions and determination for freedom and started the March 1 movement,” Yoon was quoted as saying in remarks after the service. “The South Korean church was on that great journey toward a free and prosperous future.

“As a global pivotal state, we will contribute responsibly to world peace and joint prosperity, and work for a new leap by the Republic of Korea,” he continued, referring to South Korea by its formal name. “The government and I will move close to the people’s lives from a
humbler position, and carry out state affairs warmly by holding each and every person’s hands.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency