By Lee Hana
President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook on May 5 unveiled a surprise gift in the form of a video on the occasion of Children's Day.
For children stuck at home under social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the presidential office created a virtual version of itself in the sandbox video game "Minecraft" and invited children to visit.
Through last year, Cheong Wa Dae held an on-site event for children to celebrate the annual holiday.
The presidential couple, who starred in the video as "Minecraft" characters, offered words of encouragement to children everywhere who stayed positive and showed bravery despite the pandemic.
"Thanks to your patience, we're now beating COVID-19 little by little," he said.
The president also asked children to "please remember that grown-ups are working hard to overcome this unprecedented pandemic," saying, "Let's all do what we can and get through this together. Then, I'm sure in time, we'll become stronger and you'll achieve your dreams."
"Your support has greatly inspired us all. We are all heroes who are beating COVID-19 together."
The video has English subtitles and closed captions for the hearing impaired for the benefit of children worldwide dealing with the pandemic.
The presidential office also released a "Minecraft"-style map of Cheong Wa Dae as an open source, making it available for download.
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