Following are excepts of President Lee Myung-bak’s address at U.S. Congress. –– ED.
For Korea, America is not a distant land. America is our neighbor and our friend. America is our ally and our partner. There is a Korean expression that describes our sixty-year partnership: “katchikapshida.” In English, it means “We go together.”
Yes. We have been going together for sixty years.
For the last sixty years, remarkable changes took place in both of our countries. For the United States, it has been a journey to new frontiers ― on this planet and beyond.
For the Republic of Korea, the last sixty years has been an incredible time of transformation and renewal. During the Korean War, Seoul was almost completely destroyed. Today, however, Seoul is reborn.
I still get asked by many foreign leaders: how did a country with no natural resources, no technology, no capital and no experience manage to achieve so much in just one generation?
My answer to them is simple: the power of education.
The Korean War, as I’ve said, completely destroyed my country. The people had nothing to eat and nothing to wear. For years, we relied on foreign aid. But the Korean people believed in one thing and that was education.
Even if parents had to work day and night and drink nothing but water to chase away their hunger, they spared nothing when it came to their children’s education. These children later became the lead actors in this great drama.
Today, the United States and Korea have one of the closest, most important economic relationships in the world. For both countries it has brought untold benefits and opportunities. Our trade in goods, services and mutual investments has grown dramatically.
We invest in you ― and you invest in us ― because we are interdependent. When we trade together, we grow together. When we build together, we rise together. And when we work together, we win together. We see this in the towns and cities and states this Congress represents.
Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of Congress,
Thanks to all of you in this chamber, our economic ties are becoming even stronger.
The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement was ratified by this Congress here last night. Here, where the Mutual Defense Treaty was signed by Korea and the United States in 1953, a new chapter in our relationship has opened. Our relationship has become stronger.
The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is a historic achievement, a win-win for both countries. This agreement is a major step toward future growth and job creation. It is a win for our corporations. It is a win for our workers. It is a win for small businesses. And it is a win for all the innovators on both sides of the Pacific.
And in this 21st century, I firmly believe economies must be green to grow.
As president, I announced a new national vision: low carbon green growth. And it is our goal to become the world’s seventh-largest green economy by 2020. The benefits of green growth are real.
The strength of a country is not measured in dollars alone. Our mutual defense keeps us strong. And it keeps us safe. Ours is an alliance forged in blood. That is how we Koreans describe it.
Fifty-eight years ago today in October 1953 here in Washington DC, the Republic of Korea and the United States signed the Mutual Defense Treaty. In the words of that treaty, we pledged our “common determination to defend (ourselves) against external armed attack so that no potential aggressor could be under the illusion that either of (us) stands alone in the Pacific area.”
But, we know that defending freedom is never easy. It is never free of cost or free of risk. For this, I want to thank you. I thank you, on behalf of the Korean people, for standing by us in times of darkness.
We also want to thank the 28,500 American men and women in uniform who serve today in Korea. We want to thank you for keeping faith with the generation of your parents and grandparents, defending freedom on the Korean Peninsula.
Today, I would also like to thank the Korean War veterans who are here with us today. They are Representatives John Conyers. Charles Rangel. Sam Johnson. And Howard Coble. We thank these gentlemen for their service. Thank you.
My hope is that these people and all 70 million Koreans will enjoy real happiness, real peace. And for this, we must first lay the foundation for peace on the Korean Peninsula. And upon this foundation we must strengthen cooperation between the two Koreas. We must seek the path that will lead us towards mutual prosperity.
And we must achieve peaceful unification. A unified Korea will be a friend to all and a threat to none. A unified Korea will contribute to peace and prosperity, not only in Northeast Asia but far beyond.
We therefore must achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And North Korea must give up their nuclear ambitions. Korea and the United States stand united. We are in full agreement that the Six Party Talks is an effective way to achieve tangible progress.
North Korea’s development is in our collective interest and this is what we want; however, this depends on its willingness to end all provocations and make genuine peace. We will work with you and the international community so that North Korea makes the right choice.
Our mutual defense treaty has ensured stability and prosperity to flourish not only on the Korean Peninsula but across Northeast Asia. The United States, as a key player of the Asia-Pacific region and as a global leader, has vital interests in Northeast Asia. For Northeast Asia to play a more constructive role in global affairs there must be peace and stability in the region.
In this regard, our free trade agreement has significance because it will be a force for stability. Because lasting stability, again, depends on economic opportunity being open and robust.
More than ever, Korea is looking beyond the horizon. It will willingly embrace its international responsibilities.
Global Korea has joined United Nations peacekeeping operations in East Timor, Lebanon and Haiti. Korea was the third-largest contributor of troops to the coalition forces in Iraq. We have sent reconstruction teams to rebuild Afghanistan. Our naval vessels support the U.S. and EU in fighting against piracy off the coast of Somalia.
In these and countless other ways, Korea will carry out its duties as a responsible member of the international community.