1,825 days, 1,195 national events
The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Protocol That Raised Korea's Dignity

This is the memoir of former Secretary Tak Hyun-min, who served as the protocol secretary under the Moon Jae-in administration.
The author, who planned 1,195 events that moved the public over 1,825 days, including national commemorations, overseas trips, and inter-Korean events, unravels various interesting behind-the-scenes stories and episodes about the president in this book.
As this book is written by a secretary who closely assisted the president, looking back on various government events, it not only explores the meaning of the presidency, but also the various know-hows of planners who plan and promote projects.

I don't think grand discourses, ideologies, or world-shaking events are important.
I don't remember the President's speech on March 1st, 2021, very well, but I still vividly remember the President's words and the look in his eyes during the rainy ceremony, when he asked me to change the wet blanket of the late patriot Im Woo-cheol.
I believe that in the end, it is the little things like this that become memories and comfort.
The people will eventually remember and miss the Moon Jae-in administration through these trivial stories.
---From the "Prologue"

“Then let’s get on.
I am fine.” But there was a serious misunderstanding in this conversation.
We used to think of 'boarding' as boarding an airplane on the runway and moving on the ground, but the President thought of it as flying in the sky.
It was only after the President left and I heard the concerns of the Chief of Security Service, who was now in deep thought, that I realized there had been a misunderstanding.
But there was nothing I could do.
The President is already flying in the sky, so how can we tell him to come down?
---From "President Mildeok's FA-50 Flight"

For two days, watching the interview felt like riding a roller coaster until I threw up.
There were some thrilling words in the conversation between the two, and there were also moments that made me regret planning it for nothing.
There were times when I felt angry because I thought (CEO Son Seok-hee) was going too far, and other times I felt relieved, sad, and regretful. Various emotions passed through my mind.
And I also felt like our five years were now wrapped up with that conversation.
---From "The Last Conversation"

The first task of a national commemoration is to ensure that the meaning of 'that day' is not forgotten.
In order not to forget the meaning, we must find out what story was contained in that day and show it to the people.
The more people who empathize with the story, the more the meaning of that day will be remembered and lived on.
---From "Army Sergeant Kim Ki-eok"

Originally, I was planning to practice with an orchestra, but the Ministry of National Defense Orchestra was taking a break at the time, so I couldn't play.
“Governor, there’s no accompaniment right now, so would you like to just sing a few bars?” “Oh, then you can just sing the national anthem?” Governor Oh started singing the national anthem without even catching his breath.
Suddenly my heart started pounding.
I felt like I had been hit in the head with a hammer.
The national anthem sung by patriot Oh Hee-ok was not the one composed by Ahn Ik-tae, but the one by Auld Lang Syne.
A national anthem that was sung with lyrics based on Scottish folk songs when our national anthem did not have a melody.
It was the melody known as the national anthem of the independence movement.
---「Auld Lang Syne by Patriot Oh Hee-ok」

The Moon Jae-in administration's last Armed Forces Day event has ended.
It was a ceremony that showed everything that could be shown.
I returned to the Blue House with a feeling of regret and emptiness.
When I returned and was about to escort the President to the residence, the President hesitated for a moment, looked back, and then went up to the residence.
As soon as the President left, all the staff members of the Protocol Office surrounding him cheered.
After the event, the president never once said to us, “Good job,” “Thank you for your hard work,” or “It was good.”
But after a really good event, he usually turns around and looks back.
That was the greatest compliment and warmest encouragement to us.
---From "Peacemaker"

“What is the most memorable event during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration?” It’s a question I get asked time and time again.
To be honest, every event was special.
Any event attended by the President could not be done carelessly, and because it could not be done carelessly, it could not be anything but special.
Whenever I was asked that question, I would think about it for a while, but eventually I would give the answer that the person asking the question was expecting.
“It’s the Panmunjom summit or the Armed Forces Day event.” But if someone were to ask, “What was the most perfectly staged event during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration?” I would answer without hesitation, “The 70th anniversary of the Korean War, the commemoration ceremony “To the Heroes.”
---From "To the Hero"

After all the sounds and lights disappeared, only then could I hear the crickets, the wind, and the faint croaking of frogs at Panmunjom.
It was the first time I felt a sense of calm as I began preparing for the Panmunjom talks.
It was peaceful.
Peace, unification, prosperity, coexistence, harmony… all the words I uttered countless times while preparing for this event were in vain.
Ah! Perhaps we've never experienced peace in a concrete way.
So it suddenly occurred to me that all the preparations we had made had to be formal, superficial, and noisy.
This sound and this atmosphere we are hearing now are peaceful.
I felt that no words, sounds, lights, or music could express the 'peace' of this moment.
We decided to turn off the lights just before the final farewell ceremony and create a blackout before the performance began.
We decided to 'produce' the time of silence and peace that we felt.
-From "15 Seconds of Blackout"

That day, during the reception, Ms. Jo Soo-mi asked us if she could dance with the President.
I couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.
“Dancing? What kind of dancing…?” Jo Soo-mi suggested that if the president danced a waltz in front of foreigners at a reception like this, it would be a big topic of conversation, so let’s create some buzz.
He said that he would lead well and that it didn't matter if the president couldn't dance, so he asked them to leave it to him.
“Then I don’t know.” Ms. Jo Su-mi went to the president and asked him to dance, and the president thought she was greeting him and stood up, but was met with cheers and applause from everyone and was forcibly introduced to the world of ballroom dancing.
---From "Metropolitan Pyeongchang Night for the Peace Olympics"

The photo of President Moon Jae-in and President Biden kneeling next to Colonel Puckett that day was sure to become the most iconic image when discussing the ROK-US alliance.
The President and his entourage returned home on the night of May 23 after completing their three-night, five-day official visit to the United States and returned to work on the 24th.
In a press conference held on the return flight, the President responded to reporters' questions about his overall assessment of the trip by saying:
“It was a great trip, a great meeting.”
---From "The Best Tour, the Best Meeting"

The Baekbeom Project was not a BTS project, nor was it just for the UN General Assembly.
The project aimed to promote Korean cultural content through diplomatic channels. The goal was to showcase Korea's cultural achievements—from BTS and Blackpink to "Parasite," "Squid Game," the Academy Awards, and the Emmy Awards—and showcase the power of culture as envisioned by Kim Gu to the world.

---From the "Baekbeom Project"