Full text of Yoon's Liberation Day speech
President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech during the 78th anniversary of Liberation Day ceremony at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Aug. 15. Yonhap
The following is the full text of a speech given by President Yoon Suk-yeol to mark the 78th Liberation Day on Tuesday.
Address by President Yoon Suk Yeol on Korea's 78th Liberation Day
My fellow Koreans, 7.5 million compatriots living abroad,
Today we mark the 78th Liberation Day.
I pay tribute to our fallen forebears and patriots who sacrificed and dedicated themselves for our independence.
I also wish to express my deep gratitude to their families.
Our independence movement was to build a nation that is free and democratic; a nation where the people are its rightful owners and a nation where freedom, human rights and the rule of law reign supreme.
It was not to just reclaim our sovereignty or to return to monarchy. It was never an attempt to establish a communist totalitarian state where freedom and human rights are ignored.
Thus, from the perspective of the whole humankind, our independence movement was universal and just.
Even after regaining sovereignty, our independence movement carried on. We fought to defend our nation's freedom against communist aggression. We achieved economic development, industrialization and democratization.
The movement still continues to this day. Inheriting the spirit of our independence movement, we now envision a global pivotal state that fulfills its roles and responsibilities in the international community for the freedom, peace and prosperity of global citizens.
We must properly remember those who gave their all to defend the freedoms of our people; to bring independence to our country; and to uphold the universal values.
Remembering and honoring them in a right way is vital and essential for our national identity and continuity.
My fellow Koreans,
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement and the ROK―U.S. alliance.
Alongside the United Nations forces, we fought the communist invasion in defense of our freedom. After the war, we accomplished industrialization. The world calls Korea's amazing success the "Miracle on the Han River."
The wise decisions of our leaders to build a liberal democracy as well as to forge the ROK-U.S. alliance, and the hard work of our people have enabled the Republic of Korea to achieve phenomenal growth and prosperity that have astounded the world.
By contrast, North Korea has stuck to its totalitarian and repressive rule over the same 70 years. It remained unable to escape from its horrendous poverty and deprivation.
The stark differences between the Republic of Korea that opted for and pursued freedom and democracy and North Korea that chose communist totalitarianism could not be any clearer.
Nonetheless, still rampant are anti-state forces that blindly follow communist totalitarianism, distort public opinion, and disrupt society through manipulative propaganda.
In a divided nation, the confrontation between liberal democracy and communist totalitarianism is a reality. And the activities of those anti-state groups are likely to persist.
As the totalitarian forces disrupt and attack our societies, they take full advantage of the legal rights enshrined in free societies. That is the way they survive.
The forces of communist totalitarianism have always disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights advocates or progressive activists while engaging in despicable and unethical tactics and false propaganda.
We must never succumb to the forces of communist totalitarianism. We must not be deceived by those who follow and serve them.
At this critical juncture, having faith is of utmost importance. We must stand united in the spirit of solidarity, with an enduring conviction that freedom and democracy will always prevail.
Since I took office, my administration has vigorously sought cooperation on security and cutting-edge technology with countries that share universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law.
The ROK-U.S. alliance, forged from universal values, is an alliance of peace and prosperity.
Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests.
As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner.
Notably, the significance of ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral security cooperation is increasingly growing on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.
In order to fundamentally block North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan must closely cooperate on reconnaissance assets and share North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles data in real time.
The seven rear bases provided to the United Nations Command(UNC) by the government of Japan serve as the greatest deterrent which keeps the North from invading the South.
A renewed North Korean invasion will trigger an automatic and immediate intervention and retaliation by the UNC, and the UNC-rear in Japan is sufficiently equipped with necessary land, sea and air capabilities.
The UNC is a great example of international solidarity that has played a key role in firmly safeguarding the Republic of Korea's freedom "under one flag."
The ROK-U.S.-Japan summit to be held at Camp David in three days will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo―Pacific region.
Security of the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region is deeply linked to the security in the Atlantic and Europe.
Accordingly, strengthening cooperation with NATO is also of great importance.
Because the Republic of Korea's security is very much aligned with security of the Indo-Pacific region, the Atlantic, Europe and the world.
The Republic of Korea should conduct a responsible and contributive diplomacy in all regions around the world. It is not only a way to contribute to freedom, peace and prosperity globally, but also to foster Korea's own freedom, peace, and prosperity.
The government putting its resources and efforts in Official Development Assistance (ODA), international development projects, and in assisting Ukraine for its freedom and peace is ultimately promoting Korea's freedom, peace and prosperity.
While steadfastly implementing the "Audacious Initiative" to build peace by overwhelming force, the government will also work together with the international community to make the North Korean regime stop advancing its nuclear and missile programs and embark on a path to dialogue and cooperation, which will lead to better livelihoods of its people.
Since my inauguration, the government has been working tirelessly to protect freedom and democracy and to set right the toppled free market economy even amid internal and external challenges as well as the difficulties stemming from the global polycrisis.
A robust ROK-U.S. alliance, and working together in solidarity with countries who share universal values, are foundational for Korea's economic development and prosperity, since our economy is highly dependent on international trade.
Cooperation in life-and-death matters results in deeper economic partnerships and closer cooperation on cutting-edge science and technology where peoples' livelihoods are at stake.
The government has been doing all it can to increase exports, invite more invite more foreign investments, and expand cooperation on state-of-the-art science and science and technology through active sales diplomacy undergirded by strong global security partnership.
We have built a solid foundation for a market economy centered on businesses and the private sector; we worked at normalizing the real estate market; and ― for the sake of our future generations ― we tackled unconstrained, reckless fiscal spending and established policies for fiscal soundness.
The government adopted the consideration and assistance for the socially disadvantaged and the vulnerable as key social policies, boldly shifting the focus of its fiscal spending from politically motivated handouts to the welfare of the underprivileged.
In order to achieve sustainable economic growth and create decent jobs, the principles of a market economy must function properly and a fair and just compensation system must be put in place.
To establish fairness and the rule of law, we must stamp out illegal activities by special-interest cartels. In particular, we must root out the construction industry cartel that endangers the safety of the people through shoddy construction practices.
"Killer" regulations that impede investment will be swiftly removed, and scientific and technological innovation will be pursued by reforming our R&D funding system to ensure that the most promising areas receive a greater share of state funding.
Human resources are the key to competitiveness in science and technology. After all, it is all about cultivating talented individuals.
The government will boldly invest in cutting-edge science and technology, the engines of future growth. Higher education will be innovated to promote multidisciplinary collaboration in order to nurture talented individuals well suited for convergence.
Moreover, we will normalize our schools and make sure that teachers' authority is respected in classrooms, which will in turn effectively guarantee students' rights.
We need discipline in our classrooms. Let the authority of our educators be respected. And discipline will follow.
Fellow Koreans,
Even in the darkest times, when few of us believed in the possibility of reclaiming our sovereignty within our life time, we dreamed of building a free and democratic nation where the people are its rightful owners.
The journey of the Republic of Korea that began as a quest for freedom has brought us not only freedom but also peace and prosperity.
We should now embrace our historic mandate: contributing with responsibility to the freedom, peace and prosperity of citizens around the world.
To fulfill this calling, the journey we embarked on long ago in search of freedom must continue.
We are no longer alone in our journey. Our friends and partners from all around the world stand with us and support us.
As a Korean citizen, I am proud of all of you. I am proud of us. Because we ― as Koreans ― came all the way together. Because both in times of hardship and glory, we pushed forward together in search of freedom.
Thank you. (Yonhap)