U.S. Embassy to celebrate Independence Day in Gwangju next week

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Embassy in Seoul plans to hold a reception to mark the 241th Independence Day in the southwestern city of Gwangju on July 3.

The ceremony will include a commemorative speech by Charge d'Affaires Marc Knapper, the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, as well as performances with the presence of citizens and city and embassy officials.

It is the first time Gwangju has hosted the annual embassy event which has been held either in Seoul, the capital, or the second largest city of Busan.

The decision reportedly reflects the growing friendship between the embassy and the city.

In January, former U.S. Amb. to Korea Mark Lippert handed over to the city a bundle of declassified U.S. documents connected to the May 18 pro-democracy uprising in the city in 1980 which was brutally quelled by the then military junta.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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