President Lee Jae-myung and his wife attended the 66th anniversary ceremony commemorating the March 15 uprising in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province on March 15. After the ceremony, they visited the nearby Bansong traditional market to check household grocery prices and speak with vendors.
Ahn Gwi-ryeong, deputy spokesperson for the Blue House, said Bansong Market opened in 1988 and is widely known locally as the \"kalguksu alley.\" He noted the president had previously visited the market in March 2024 while serving as leader of the Democratic Party.
Ahn added that when the president appeared, vendors and residents applauded and cheered. The president and his wife responded with handshakes and high-fives, and they crouched to meet the eyes of several children and greet them warmly.
When a resident asked, \"I just saw you on TV at the March 15 ceremony—how are you already here?\" the president joked, \"I flew here.\"
The presidential couple purchased strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, wild greens, and scallions using Onnuri gift certificates, and Mrs. Kim also stopped at a cosmetics shop to buy sheet masks and other items.
The president sampled bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastry) and tteokbokki on the spot, saying, \"Delicious.\" Mrs. Kim bought kkwabaegi (twisted doughnuts) and shared them with children.
Afterward, the couple joined vendors for lunch at a market restaurant, where they ate kimchi jjim (braised kimchi) and gyeran-mari (rolled omelet). During the meal, the president asked the head of the merchants' association about recent sales figures and listened to vendors' concerns on site.
