President Lee's de facto inauguration ceremony to take place on Nat'l Liberation Day

Today, August 15th, marks the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

A major celebration is set to take place tonight in downtown Seoul, and President Lee Jae Myung will be participating.

For more, let's go live to our Presidential Office correspondent Song Yoo-jin.

Yoo-jin!

Eun-ji, I'm at Gwanghwamun Square, where the festival titled "80 Years of Liberation: Future Established by People's Sovereignty" will begin in less than two hours.

The staff here are busy with final preparations, as tonight's two-hour event is more than just celebrating National Liberation Day.

It will also feature what the government calls "The People's Mandate Ceremony."

You could think of it as President Lee Jae Myung's de facto inauguration, since he began his term in June without a formal ceremony after the snap election.

"The People's Mandate Ceremony is meant to celebrate the birth of the new administration, which was born from the people's sovereignty, and overcame illegal martial law and insurrection."

During the event, President Lee will receive symbolic letters of appointment from selected members of the public, followed by a thank-you address.

Meanwhile, as we speak, the president is hosting a dinner with foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan reception hall.

A very busy day for the president.

He also delivered his first Liberation Day address since taking office at the Liberation Day commemorative ceremony.

What were the key takeaways?

Like his predecessors, he used the occasion to honor independence fighters while also laying out messages for North Korea and Japan.

On North Korea, President Lee reaffirmed his commitment to resuming dialogue, stressing that Seoul respects the North's system and will never pursue unification by absorption.

"To prevent accidental clashes and build military trust between the two Koreas, we will proactively and gradually restore the September 19th Military Agreement. I believe it is the right time to end an era of confrontation and hostility and open a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula."

He also stressed that a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula must be achieved through both international cooperation and direct talks with Pyongyang, and between North Korea and the United States.

Turning to Japan, where a summit is set for next week, the president reiterated his "two-track" policy of separating historical disputes from cooperation.

"I will pursue future-oriented cooperation with Japan through frequent summit-level talks and frank dialogue. I expect the Japanese government to face up to the painful history of the past and work to ensure that trust between our two countries is not undermined."

That's all I have for now, but I'll be back once our special coverage of "The People's Mandate Ceremony" begins.

Eun-ji.

Thank you, Yoo-jin.