President Lee, Democratic Party chief Kim make back-to-back trips to Busan

President Lee Jae Myung visited Busan on Friday for the second time in a week, while Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok held a party leadership meeting in the city the same day.

Lee and first lady Kim Hye-kyung attended the 47th anniversary commemoration of the Buuma Democratic Uprising at Busan City Hall that afternoon.

In his commemorative address, Lee said enshrining the Buuma Democratic Uprising and the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in the constitutional preamble was "the minimum step needed to protect democracy and popular sovereignty in the Republic of Korea and to ensure that the blood-soaked history of our people is never forgotten." He called on the National Assembly to "move swiftly to gather public opinion and engage in rational debate on constitutional reform."

The annual commemoration marks the large-scale pro-democracy movement in which students and citizens in the Busan and Masan areas rose up against the Yushin dictatorship in 1979. This year marks the eighth time the event has been held as a national commemorative day since it was first designated as such in 2019.

"The cries that rang out from Busan and Masan on Oct. 16, 47 years ago — a Friday — pierced the darkness of a vast dictatorship and became an undying flame that lit up the democratic republic of Korea," Lee said. "I offer my deepest respect and gratitude to the citizens of Busan and Masan who cried out for justice with their whole bodies in those harsh times."

Earlier, Lee had also visited Busan on Tuesday to attend a welcome ceremony for the Arctic route trial voyage and to make an encouragement visit to HMM's headquarters.

After the HMM visit that day, Lee stopped at Pier 5 of Busan's North Port, where the Pan Star Arc — the vessel that completed the Arctic route trial voyage — was docked, before moving on to a waterfront park to meet with citizens, where he also encountered a shark named "Bukang-i."

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok also held a party leadership meeting in Busan on Friday, pledging the party's support for key local issues including the development of Arctic shipping routes and the construction of a dome arena at North Port.

Speaking at the meeting held at the Democratic Party's Busan chapter office in Dong-gu, Kim said holding leadership meetings in Busan "will become a familiar sight for the people of Busan," and pledged to continue visiting the city. He had previously said he would visit Busan for at least three days every two weeks.

Kim said the party would work to make Busan "the maritime capital it is meant to be," and pledged to push for the enactment of a special law on Arctic shipping routes and the launch of an Arctic route committee within the year, as well as follow-up measures after the law takes effect.

On the 47th anniversary of the Buuma Democratic Uprising, Kim said the party would "unwaveringly pursue" not only the investigation of the full truth of the uprising and the restoration of victims' honor, but also the inclusion of the spirit of the Buuma Democratic Uprising in the constitutional preamble.