Lee marks 100th radio address by meeting ordinary citizens

President Lee Myung-bak marked his 100th radio address Monday with a town hall-style meeting with ordinary citizens, stressing there is "a bright ray of light" at the end of "a long, dark tunnel" of economic difficulties.

Lee began delivering a speech on the radio every week in October 2008, urging Koreans to unite to overcome the global financial meltdown. It was modeled after U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's weekly radio address, which dates back to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The weekly address was later changed to a biweekly event, and Monday's marked the 100th one. In the latest program, broadcast on radio and TV, Lee held a town hall-style meeting with about 20 citizens, such as college students, small business owners, teachers and soldiers.

Recalling the past addresses, Lee said the most unforgettable piece was the one where he called out the names of 46 South Korean sailors killed in North Korea's 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship in waters near the tense Yellow Sea border between the two sides.

"What I remember in particular was when I called out the names of our 46 sailors one by one," Lee said during the meeting, adding he was so overwhelmed with grief that he could hardly call out their names. "I will never forget their sacrifices for the rest of my life."

On economic difficulties, Lee said he sees hope that South Korea will be among the first countries to pull out of the global economic downturn and continue growth, emphasizing that the country's credit ratings have recently been upgraded when many others suffered downgrades.

"Looking back at the past four years, we have encountered two economic crises. It is like the whole world is going through a long, dark tunnel," he said. "But I believe there is a bright ray of light if we keep going without giving up hope." (Yonhap)