President Lee’s first Lunar New Year gift set: tableware and home-cooked meal package delivered to patriotic heroes and vulnerable groups

[Financial News] On February 4, President Lee Jae-myung marked his first Lunar New Year holiday since taking office by sending New Year gift sets to people from all walks of life, conveying his hopes for national unity and a return to normal daily life.
The presidential office stated that this year’s Lunar New Year gifts "reflect the administration’s policy direction in its second year, focusing on national unity, balanced regional growth, and the restoration of everyday life in ways that everyone can feel."
This year’s gift consists of a set of bowls and spoons, along with a package of ingredients for a home-cooked meal. The food package includes rice, mixed grains, sliced rice cakes for tteokguk, seaweed fulvescens, shredded shiitake mushrooms, and traditional soy sauce. The presidential office explained that the selection reflects the characteristics of the “five hubs and three special zones” regions, embodying the goals of balanced regional development and mutual growth and integration among regions. From the five hubs, the set includes soy sauce from Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province in the capital region; shredded shiitake mushrooms from Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province in the central region; rice from Dalseong District, Daegu in the Daegu–Gyeongbuk region; seaweed fulvescens from Jangheung, South Jeolla Province in the Honam region; and sliced rice cakes for tteokguk from Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province in the southeastern region. From the three special zones, it contains brown rice from Buan, North Jeolla Province; glutinous sorghum from Yeongwol, Gangwon Province; and glutinous millet from Jeju Island.
The New Year gifts are being sent to key figures who have worked together for national development and the stability of people’s livelihoods, to patriotic heroes who defended the nation, and to socially vulnerable groups who have held on to hope despite difficult circumstances. This year, spouses of democracy merit award recipients and veterans have also been newly included among the recipients.
In a card enclosed with the gifts, President Lee wrote, "I hope your whole family can gather around one table and share a warm meal together," adding, "I will work even harder so that we can give you confidence that tomorrow will be better than today, and so that you can truly feel changes in your daily lives."

west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter