Coinciding the 80th anniversary of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day, the event comes about two months after Lee took office with a low-key ceremony on June 4. Lee had no time to spare for a full transition period as he was elected through a snap election to replace former disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol who was impeached over his botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law last year.
During a press briefing, Kang said, "Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Woo Sang-ho is set to deliver invitation letters to guests including former President Moon Jae-in and his wife, as well as former first lady Kwon Yang-sook, the widow of the late President Roh Moo-hyun."
Invitations will also be sent to other former presidents and their widows, but Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee were excluded as they are currently under investigation over a slew of allegations.
The move is part of Lee's efforts to promote national unity through "respect for former presidents and their spouses," according to Kang.
Roughly 10,000 citizens including independence fighters against Japanese colonial rule, patriots, war veterans, and residents of the northernmost border town of Goseong in Gangwon Province, will also be invited to the event.
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