Calling himself a faithful servant of the sovereign people of South Korea, President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to work to build a nation where the people are the true owners and their happiness is ensured. 

The president made the pledge on Friday at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, in a ceremony where he received a certificate from civic representatives symbolically “appointing” him as president. 

At the ceremony, Lee said he felt boundless honor and a deep sense of responsibility as he received the letter of appointment from the people on the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

The president said the people all share a pressing goal: to build a better nation and usher in a new era of happiness for the people.

He stressed that his government will always place the people at the center of its governing philosophy and vision.

He added that he is infinitely proud to be appointed president of the Republic of Korea, calling it a nation restored by its great people.

The event effectively took the place of an inauguration ceremony for Lee, who took office without the usual fanfare on June 4, a day after he won the presidential election in the wake of his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law attempt on December 3 and subsequent ouster.

All former presidents were invited to the event with the exception of Yoon, who remains in detention on charges related to the martial law case, but former conservative Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak did not attend, citing health reasons.