FULL TEXT Lee Jae-myung's inaugural speech
President Lee Jae-myung receives a standing ovation at his inauguration ceremony, held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
Respected and beloved fellow citizens,
I am Lee Jae-myung, honored to greet you as the 21st president of the Republic of Korea, chosen by your hands.
I stand here today with an immeasurable sense of responsibility and boundless gratitude.
Embracing the 52 million hopes and aspirations entrusted to me by the 52 million citizens of this nation, I now take my first step as the 21st president of the Republic of Korea, toward a truly democratic republic.
The future is calling to us.
It is time to restore livelihoods on the brink and revive growth to build a tomorrow where everyone can live in happiness.
It is time to reclaim national security and peace, which have been reduced to political weapons; to rebuild livelihoods and the economy, which have crumbled under indifference, incompetence and irresponsibility; and to restore democracy, devastated by armored vehicles and automatic rifles.
Now is the time to bridge division and hatred with coexistence, reconciliation and solidarity — and to open a new era of national happiness filled with dreams and hope.
As author Han Kang once said, the past helps the present, and the dead save the living.
Now, it is our turn to become the past that will save the future generations.
I make this solemn promise to the people.
I will respond to your urgent call to sow the seeds of hope upon deep and painful wounds and to build an entirely new nation.
Regardless of whom you supported in this election, I will embrace all and serve all as the “president for everyone,” honoring your mandate for unity.
Korea continues to write a new chapter in history — rising from colonization to become the only nation to succeed in both industrialization and democratization, ranking tenth in economic power and fifth in military strength, and now leading global culture through K-culture.
And now, this proud nation of the East has opened a new chapter in the global history of democracy — resisting a military coup not with force, but with bare hands holding light sticks.
The world watches with awe as the people of Korea embark on this extraordinary journey, showcasing their extraordinary capability.
Our radiant revolution — K-democracy — has become a compelling model for the world, offering a path forward for those struggling to protect democracy.
Beloved fellow citizens,
We now stand at a critical turning point of great transformation.
The old order is fading, and a new global shift in civilization is underway —ushering in an era of super-advanced technologies and boundless competition driven by artificial intelligence, with changes arriving faster than the blink of an eye.
The climate crisis threatens humanity, and industrial transformation presses upon us.
Rapid changes in the international order — protectionism, restructured supply chains — threaten our survival.
But if we take the lead and drive these changes instead of trailing behind, we can unlock limitless opportunities.
Unfortunately, we now face a complex web of overlapping crises in every sphere — livelihoods, economy, diplomacy, national security and democracy.
The present and future of our country are under threat.
Restoring the lives of our weary citizens and rebuilding democracy, peace and national dignity will demand unimaginable sweat, tears and patience.
Yet like the rose that blooms in June, seeking sunlight even beneath the shadows, our people have found direction amid confusion and despair.
Following the will of the sovereign people as our compass, we will press forward — across rugged mountains and through thickets of hardship.
We begin with restoring livelihoods and reviving the economy.
We will immediately launch an emergency task force to confront economic stagnation and kick-start a virtuous economic cycle using state finances as priming water.
The new Democratic administration under Lee Jae-myung will be a government of just integration and pragmatic flexibility.
Unity is the mark of competence; division is the consequence of incompetence.
Only those without the will or ability to improve lives sow division and hatred to maintain power.
I will be a president who ends divisive politics and overcomes crisis through national unity.
We will recover what was lost to internal upheaval — livelihoods, economy, security, peace, democracy — and build a society of sustained growth and progress.
Never again must a rebellion deprive the people of their sovereignty through weapons entrusted to protect them.
We will conduct a thorough investigation, hold those responsible to account and establish firm safeguards against recurrence.
We will restore dialogue and communication upon the values of coexistence and unity and revive politics built on compromise and concession.
Let us consign outdated ideologies to the museum of history.
From now on, there are no progressive issues or conservative issues — only the people's issues and Korea’s issues.
Whether it be policies from Park Chung-hee or Kim Dae-jung, if they are useful and necessary, we will adopt them without bias.
My government will be a pragmatic, market-oriented government — not one of control and regulation, but of support and encouragement.
To ensure creative and proactive corporate activity, we will transition to a negative regulatory system and provide strong backing so that entrepreneurs can freely start businesses, grow and compete globally.
We will not tolerate violations of rules that harm others — such as endangering lives, infringing workers’ rights, oppressing the weak or manipulating stock markets for unfair gain.
Innovation and new growth are possible only in a nation where the basic conditions of life are guaranteed for all and where a robust social safety net allows for bold challenges.
Both individuals and the state must grow in order to share.
Through practical diplomacy centered on national interest, we will turn the global upheaval in economy and security into an opportunity to maximize our national interest.
We will reinforce the Korea-U.S. alliance, strengthen trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan and approach relations with neighboring countries through the lens of practicality and national interest.
We will expand Korea’s diplomatic reach, raise our international stature and enlarge our economic territory.
Respected citizens,
This great revolution of light commands us not only to end rebellion but to build a new and shining nation.
I solemnly accept the people’s mandate to build a new nation of hope.
First, I will build a country where the people are truly the masters.
The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic and sovereignty belongs to the people.
I will ensure constant communication with the people and build a true democratic republic where your voices are reflected in daily governance.
We will steadfastly push forward the societal reforms demanded in the plaza of light.
Second, I will build a country that grows and advances once again.
Inequality in opportunity and resources has deepened. The vicious cycle of inequality and polarization hinders growth.
As low growth reduces opportunities, competition has become a zero-sum war where one must lose for another to win. Youth, driven into extremes, now fight one another along gender lines.
A society where failure means death, combined with divisive politics, has bred extremism that threatens our social fabric.
By creating new engines of growth and sharing opportunities and outcomes, fair growth will open the door to a better world.
Just as past generations raised their children by selling fields and farms, laying the foundation for today’s Korea, the government will prepare for the future with bold investment and support.
With massive investment in cutting-edge industries like AI and semiconductors, we will become a leading industrial powerhouse.
In response to the global climate crisis, we will swiftly transition to a society centered on renewable energy. This includes replacing energy imports, enhancing corporate competitiveness through RE100 and revitalizing local areas with renewable energy networks that span the entire nation.
Third, I will build a country where all live well together.
Korea, once lacking resources, achieved compressed growth by channeling investment into specific regions and groups.
Now, this unbalanced growth strategy has hit its limits. Inequality and polarization hinder further development.
To achieve sustainable growth, we must shift our strategy — toward balanced regional development, fair growth and a just society.
We will decentralize power away from the capital area, build cooperative industrial ecosystems linking large, medium, small and venture firms and eliminate privileges and favoritism to create a fair society.
Sharing growth opportunities and benefits is the path to sustainable development. Growth and distribution are not contradictions — they are complementary. Corporate advancement and respect for labor can absolutely coexist.
Fourth, I will build a nation where culture thrives.
“The one thing I most desire is the power of a great culture,” said Baekbeom Kim Gu — and that dream is becoming reality.
From K-pop and K-dramas to K-movies, K-beauty and K-food, Korean culture is captivating the world.
Culture is economy and culture is international competitiveness.
We must transform Korea’s global cultural wave into industrial growth and quality jobs.
We will significantly grow Korea’s cultural industries. With strong support for the arts, we will become a cultural powerhouse setting global standards — one of the top five global soft power leaders.
Fifth, I will build a safe and peaceful nation.
Safety and peace are the foundation of public happiness. Safety is bread, and peace is economy.
We will uncover the full truth behind national tragedies — Sewol, Itaewon, Osong underpass — and build a society where lives and property are never at risk.
We will heal the wounds of division and war and design a future of peace and prosperity.
No peace is too expensive; it is always better than war. Better than winning a war is avoiding one altogether, and the best security is peace that eliminates the need for war.
With a defense budget twice that of North Korea, the world’s fifth-ranked military, and the Korea-U.S. alliance, we will deter nuclear threats and military provocations while keeping open channels of dialogue to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
We will restore the military’s honor and public trust, tarnished by illegal martial law, and ensure the military is never again used in politics.
Beloved fellow citizens,
Through countless life-and-death moments, we have made it this far by holding onto faith in the people and following the path you paved.
Now, following the mission you have entrusted to me, I will seek hope.
The Korean people have always been strongest when united and have overcome every hardship through unity.
In defiance of colonial oppression, we rose with the March 1st Movement and founded the Provisional Government of Korea.
From the ruins of division and war, we stunned the world with industrialization.
We achieved democracy in the face of brutal dictatorship, and through two peaceful, bloodless revolutions, reclaimed our sovereign power.
With such extraordinary power, there is no crisis our people cannot overcome.
A nation that leads the world through the strength of culture, one that pioneers change with advanced technology, one that serves as a model of democracy — when Korea leads, it becomes the world’s standard.
Respected citizens,
Recovery and growth ultimately serve one purpose: the happiness of our people, the rightful owners of this land.
Let us build a true democratic republic where all the nation’s strength is devoted to its people.
Let us rise above our differences, acknowledge and respect one another and move forward together — toward a nation where the people are the true sovereigns, a nation where all can find happiness, toward the true Republic of Korea.
It is you — the people, who resisted a rebellion fueled by state power and illuminated the world with hope — who are the heroes of this historic journey.
As a faithful servant of the sovereign people, and as the delegate entrusted with the lives of 52 million citizens and the nation’s future, I will fulfill my responsibilities as the 21st president of the Republic of Korea with all my strength.
Thank you.
The speech by President Lee Jae-myung is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.