North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo and former President Park Geun-hye. [North Gyeongsang Province]
North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo and former President Park Geun-hye. [North Gyeongsang Province]

A memorial rite and commemorative ceremony marking the 109th birth anniversary of President Park Chung-hee were held Saturday in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province.

The event, organized by North Gyeongsang Province, Gumi City and the Park Chung-hee Presidential Birthplace Preservation Society, drew about 2,000 attendees from across the country, including former President Park Geun-hye, North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo and Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho.

The program began with a traditional memorial rite at Park's birthplace, followed by a commemorative ceremony and celebratory performance at the Gumi Complex Sports Center.

Several dignitaries served as officiants, offering incense and ritual wine. The venue also featured an exhibition of prize-winning entries from a photo competition documenting Park's life and achievements alongside South Korea's industrialization.

North Gyeongsang Province said it plans to use the occasion as a springboard to pass on the "saemaul" spirit of diligence, self-reliance and cooperation to future generations, and to promote a third-generation Saemaul Undong, or New Village Movement, that integrates youth, AI and digital technology.

The province said it will continue its Saemaul globalization initiatives — including the establishment of overseas Saemaul model villages and a national transformation project — while expanding domestic programs such as youth field education and a university student Saemaul partnership to strengthen community revitalization and international cooperation.

In his commemorative address, Governor Lee said Park was "a pioneer who, when everyone said it was impossible, opened a path through bold decisions and turned impossibility into a history of success," adding that "the competitiveness of today's semiconductor, steel, automobile and shipbuilding industries was made possible by the foundations laid at that time."

Lee said "those who act are the ones who prevail," and pledged to press ahead without wavering on key provincial priorities, including the administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the construction of a new airport and the expansion of Yeongil Bay Port.


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