President Yoon Seok-yeol attended the opening ceremony of the Yongsan Children's Garden, which has been reborn as a park at the USFK base today (4th), and made his first entrance with children.

The Yongsan Children's Garden, which opened today on the first anniversary of President Yun's inauguration, was opened to the public for the first time in about 120 years as a "forbidden land" where Japanese troops were stationed after the signing of the Korea-Japan Protocol in 1904 and has been used as a U.S. military base since the liberation.

In front of the park was the Presidential Office building.

In his congratulatory remarks, President Yun said, "I would like to return the Blue House to the people and reinscribe the same heart I had when I took office when I moved the President's office here."

"The Yongsan base was a garrison for foreign troops for 120 years after it was forcibly expropriated by Japan in the early 20th century, and it was a place where our people could not enter or exit," he said, adding, "Twenty years ago, the ROK and the United States agreed to relocate the base, but the speed of (the base) return was very slow."

"However, with the relocation of the President's Office in May last year, the speed of the return has accelerated, and with your hard work, we have prepared it well and reborn it as a garden for children," Yun said.

President Yun explained, "In Korea, there is not a large lawn where children, who are the dream trees of the future, can run to their heart's content, so we decided to create a park for children."

He said, "We will continue to cultivate a healthy, joyful, and happy space for children," and "we will work harder for the children who dream of the future."

President Yoon and Mrs. Kim Kun-hee followed with four children's representatives for an "opening performance."

When President and Sister Yun took the children's representative's hand and pressed the large key, the door to Gate 14, the main entrance to the Children's Garden, swung open.

The main entrance near Exit 1 of Shingyongsan Station was the main gate of the Korea Parking Army Command, which was established by Japan to invade the Korean peninsula and establish a logistical base, and after the liberation, it was used as the main entrance of the headquarters of the 7th U.S. Division, the bunker located in the South Post, and the entrance to the 121st Hospital.

Military bands lined up on both sides of the gate to play a welcome song, and President and Sister Yun walked slowly as they entered the park, holding the children's hands.

During the walk, Saerom, a retired guide dog that the couple received last year, also appeared.

Yun told one child, "It's a Labrador retriever. I have an affinity with people," he explained, and Saerom took off the leash and moved with him.

During the walk, President Yun explained the garden to the children, saying, "There's a soccer field, there's a baseball field," and "There's a library."

Today's opening ceremony was attended by more than 200 people, including children and their caregivers, the leadership of the People's Power, the relevant ministers, and the staff of the President's Office.

After the opening ceremony, the couple visited the "Observation Hill" in the garden for a pine tree planting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the garden, the president's office said in a press release.

In addition, we watched face painting and magic shows with the children, presented balloons, and took commemorative photos.

"President Yun announced at the president-elect's press conference in March last year that he would create a national park space worth hundreds of thousands of pyeong around President Yongsan's office," the president's office explained, adding, "Through this opening, the president's promise to move closer to the people has been fulfilled."

(Photo = Photojournalists of the Office of the President, Yonhap News)