Governor Kim Moon-soo Marks Retirement with Free Meal Service Instead of Ceremony

Governor Kim Moon-soo of Gyeonggi Province will step down on the 30th. What will be the farewell ceremony of the longest-serving Gyeonggi Province governor who served for eight years?

One might expect a celebratory performance by a renowned Korean traditional music ensemble and an elaborately decorated stage, but the retirement ceremony of the main figure appears destined to be modest.

According to the province on the 8th, Governor Kim Moon-soo has decided to mark his scheduled retirement ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on the 30th with a free meal service under the overpass of Ganeung Station in Uijeongbu, rather than holding a formal event.

Ganeung Station is where Governor Kim held a humble inauguration ceremony when he was re-elected in the 2010 local elections. On July 1st of that year, he substituted his inauguration as the 5th Democratically Elected Gyeonggi Province Governor with a meal service at the station's "119 Hangsot Rice Free Meal Center."

The venue at the time had only a dais; there were no elaborate flower arrangements, decorations, or celebratory performances. With only the national anthem and inauguration oath as the sole program, it was conducted with "frugality." It reflected the will of the "common people" and "servant" governor to "serve the people in humble positions."

Four years later, when Governor Kim received a briefing on retirement ceremony preparation plans, he showed no change in conviction. According to reports, he flatly rejected officials' suggestions to even hang banners.

A provincial official stated, "We proposed various alternative events and reported them, but he declined all of them," and "He also instructed that officials should not attend the meal service."

A provincial official said, "As the longest-serving governor, one might expect a memorable final event, but it appears he intends to practice his political philosophy until the very end."