Presidential souvenirs go digital, starting with smartwatch backgrounds

Smartwatch background images, generated by President Lee Jae-myung's supporters in commemoration of Lee, as seen on X (Screenshots from X)

The presidential office announced plans to roll out digital presidential souvenirs, starting with downloadable wallpapers for smartphones and smartwatches.

The initial set of digital merchandise will include background images for smartphones and smartwatches, free to download for anyone through President Lee Jae-myung’s official social media platforms on Instagram, Facebook and X by the end of this month, according to the presidential office’s press release on Thursday.

The background images will also be available for download through the presidential office’s official website, which is currently shut down for maintenance.

Watch face files for use with wearable devices will also be released at a later date via official channels.

The designs on the background images will incorporate symbolic elements of the president, including the presidential seal, Lee’s signature and other handwritten messages by the president.

Photos from Lee’s inauguration ceremony as well as major diplomatic events, such as the upcoming June 15-17 G7 summit in Canada, are also expected to be made into background images.

The presidential office plans to continuously produce and release updated versions of the wallpapers in line with key policy issues or national events.

According to the presidential office, the initiative was inspired by numerous requests from the public to make the “presidential watch” more accessible for everyone.

In South Korea, presidential watches have become customary since the administration of former President Park Chung-hee, to serve as a diplomatic and ceremonial token and unofficial presidential merchandise.

Other than the downloadable wallpapers and digital face files, the presidential office added that it plans to launch other forms of digital merchandise, which will also be free to download via the president’s social media channels and the official website of the presidential office.

In the long term, the presidential office also aims to develop a dedicated mobile application to further expand its digital merchandise initiative.

Lee previously announced on Wednesday that his administration would continue commissioning physical presidential watches in a “cost-effective” form, in response to media reports speculating that he would break the tradition due to budget issues.