President Lee Jae-myung stated on August 15 that "we need a new liberation to elevate Korea to the next level," introducing the vision of an 'Irreplaceable Korea.'
In his speech at the 81st Liberation Day ceremony, President Lee announced plans to completely reallocate national resources and expand growth hubs across the country. He promised to build a ladder of opportunity that encompasses the entire life cycle, allowing young people to challenge themselves again after failures, and to share the fruits of innovation and growth with all citizens.
He also outlined a policy to investigate and recover assets unjustly accumulated by pro-Japanese collaborators, holding them accountable for historical wrongs, and to use the recovered assets to support independence activists and their families. President Lee proposed four directions for this new liberation: 'liberation of hope,' 'liberation of opportunity,' 'liberation of balance,' and 'liberation of peace.'
Below is the full text of President Lee's 81st Liberation Day speech.
Dear citizens and overseas compatriots,
To the independence activists and their families,
Today marks the 81st Liberation Day, a day when we regained our lost sovereignty and dignity.
As a poet once said, "The sacred story of discussing the sun always begins from the place turned away from the sun."
Even in the pitch-black darkness, there were patriots who sacrificed themselves, dreaming of restoring the light.
During the dark colonial era when the future was unclear, we did not hesitate in despair. We quietly gave everything for the future of our homeland.
Though our backgrounds and paths were diverse, our resolute will to reclaim our country was one.
There were no differences in status or class, nor left or right. From Hallasan to Baekdu, a single cry resonated throughout the land.
To the patriots who sacrificed their lives with one heart and one mind, and to the surviving independence activists and their families, I bow my head in infinite respect and gratitude.
To properly honor that noble spirit, we will provide special recognition to surviving patriots and independence activists, and expand the discovery and awarding of unrecognized independence fighters.
We will actively establish domestic and international memorial facilities for the independence movement, ensuring that the values of the independence movement take deeper root in our daily lives and that the proud history is widely passed on to future generations.
With the enactment of the 'Pro-Japanese Asset Confiscation Act' on June 2, we will investigate and recover assets unjustly accumulated by pro-Japanese collaborators, holding them accountable for history.
We will also manage the pro-Japanese assets that belong to the state more responsibly, ensuring that the resources are fully used for the recognition and support of independence activists and their families.
We will devote ourselves to correcting the legacy of a flawed history and protecting the honor and lives of those who dedicated themselves to independence.
Dear citizens,
Even when sovereignty was taken away, like the patriots who never lost their desire for independence, our people have advanced toward a better tomorrow in moments of crisis.
We nurtured dreams of economic growth and industrialization amid the ruins of division and war. We blossomed the flower of popular sovereignty and democratization under the heel of brutal dictatorship. In the face of a national bankruptcy crisis, we illuminated a new light of becoming an IT powerhouse and a leader in information.
From a country that received aid to one that provides aid, from a nation ruled by military dictatorship to a model democracy that overcame even internal strife, from a country that could not even make a proper rifle to a trusted defense powerhouse, and from a nation that envied advanced cultures to a cultural powerhouse that captivates the hearts of people worldwide,
The past 81 years have been a history of dreams and hopes, erasing impossibilities one by one and amplifying the light we have regained.
"What light will Korea shine on the future?"
That tumultuous modern history is asking us today.
Having illuminated the light of liberation, the light of industrialization, and the light of democratization, we need a new liberation to elevate Korea to the next level.
Now, Korea stands at a critical juncture, whether to be swept away by high waves or to leap forward as a leader enjoying infinite opportunities.
In the face of a monumental civilizational shift and a great upheaval in the international order, we must create possibilities instead of counting impossibilities.
We must move toward an 'Irreplaceable Korea' that the world desperately needs, a country that every nation wants to cooperate with.
We will completely reallocate Korea's resources and capabilities, redraw the map of Korea's growth, and revive the dreams and hopes that have faded in our hearts.
By expanding Korea's growth hubs nationwide, we will create a country where anyone can pursue their dreams anywhere.
Like our ancestors who sold their fields to educate their children and built today's Korea, we will enhance the economic growth potential through proactive investment in the future and share the fruits with the people.
When the results of innovation and future growth opportunities are evenly distributed, our bold vision will warmly illuminate every corner of citizens' lives and foster the courage for new challenges.
In particular, we will lay a solid ladder of opportunity that encompasses the entire life cycle, so that young people taking their first steps in society can rise again without being discouraged by failure.
Just as the desire for independence and the passion for industrialization and democratization made the youth of that era the main players in a new country, we will firmly support today's youth to stand tall as the leaders of tomorrow.
I understand that this is a difficult and arduous task.
However, recalling the numerous crises that the great Korean people have overcome, I am confident that there is no reason we cannot achieve this.
The remarkable development achieved by industrial workers in the past has become a solid foundation of global manufacturing competitiveness, digital infrastructure, and an innovative industrial ecosystem.
The democracy that the sovereign people fought for has cultivated the optimal conditions for future growth: rationality, transparency, and predictability, and has become a foundation for boundless creativity and challenge.
The experience of achieving changes that other countries took hundreds of years to accomplish in just a few decades has grown into a national capacity to actively embrace new technologies and cultures.
Just as the fierce past raised today's Korea, today's citizens will open a new future for Korea.
Dear citizens,
The vision of an Irreplaceable Korea embodies the dreams of independence fighters who sought to contribute to world peace and human prosperity, along with the will of today's Korean people.
Even in an era when human dignity was trampled, we longed for the power of high culture.
While fighting against the atrocities of Japanese imperialism, we yearned for peace in the East.
Even in moments when the harsh international order of survival of the fittest engulfed our nation, we dreamed of a future of peace and coexistence where all countries live together.
On that urgent hope, today's Korea is becoming a nation that receives the expectations of the world, a country that moves the hearts of people globally.
The prosperity of Korea cannot be achieved solely through economic growth. It must be supported by a stable and peaceful world order.
We are acutely aware of how directly the war occurring on the other side of the globe affects our citizens' lives.
How great would be the cost of tensions and conflicts occurring on this land?
Last year, I stated here that I respect the North's regime, do not pursue any form of absorption unification, and will not engage in any hostile actions.
Today, one year later, I wish to present a blueprint for moving beyond principles to practice.
First, it is about inclusive peace coexistence that respects each other.
The South and North must respect each other and stop unnecessary confrontations. Both sides should reduce hostility from the levels of perception, norms, and systems.
I hope the South and North can sit down together for peaceful coexistence and joint growth. This will be the starting point for coexistence, not concession.
Second, it is about stable peace coexistence where there is no need to fight.
We must establish systems to control tensions and conflicts and set up multiple safety measures to prevent crises and escalation.
We will comprehensively review the security situation around the Korean Peninsula and take proactive and continuous peace measures.
We will work to create a stable Korean Peninsula by eliciting a positive response from the North.
I hope our steps will lower military tensions in border areas and serve as a catalyst for building trust and a foundation for a stable Korean Peninsula.
Third, it is about responsible peace coexistence that contributes to world peace.
Peace on the Korean Peninsula will promote stability and cooperation in Northeast Asia and serve as a milestone toward a world without nuclear weapons.
It will offer hope and possibilities to a world suffering from conflict.
We will embark on a journey to end the war and transform the unstable armistice system on the Korean Peninsula into a peace system.
Let us begin discussions among the parties to end the long-standing war by laying down mutual threats.
Through this, we can also discuss effective measures to halt the North's nuclear capability enhancement.
The image of Korea trapped in hostility and confrontation is unworthy of realizing our citizens' potential and dynamism.
We will transform the energy of hostility and confrontation into the driving force for peaceful coexistence and mutual prosperity.
As a peacemaker and a party to peace on the Korean Peninsula, I will fulfill our roles and responsibilities.
Just as peace coexistence on the Korean Peninsula is not a choice but an obligation, we cannot play a greater role on the world stage without a future-oriented relationship with our neighbors who share the same front yard.
Over the past year, South Korea and Japan have built a foundation of trust through active shuttle diplomacy.
We have expanded cooperation in supply chains, energy, and advanced industries, and steadily increased exchanges between future generations.
Our government will continue to broaden the horizons of cooperation for mutual benefit based on practical national interest diplomacy and work together to solve common challenges.
For the achievements thus far to continue unwaveringly, strong trust between the two nations' citizens is essential.
Trust comes from understanding each other's pain and genuine empathy.
Even today, there are victims and families who live with the scars and pains of the past.
While there have been conflicts in the history of Korea-Japan relations, there have also been efforts to open the future based on the courage and sincerity to face the past, such as the '1998 Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Joint Declaration.'
At a time when Korea-Japan cooperation is more important than ever, the light of the new Korea-Japan relationship we will create should become a warm comfort to those who still endure pain in the shadows of history.
On that deeper trust, I hope to open a new 60 years of peace and prosperity with the Japanese government as "close neighbors."
Dear respected and beloved citizens,
I understand that the reality you endure today is not easy to hold grand dreams and hopes.
The heavy cost of living still weighs down on life. The struggles of small business owners and self-employed individuals are deep, and young people are struggling with anxiety about jobs and the future.
Therefore, the vision of an Irreplaceable Korea is not a flashy slogan or a distant hope to be achieved in the future.
It is a desperate promise to overcome the serious reality together and achieve growth for all.
As our great ancestors proved, the size of the dream shared by the people determines the fate of the nation, and a common will toward hope changes the course of history.
Our responsibility is to shine the light inherited from our ancestors further and brighter, toward a better life for the people and the future of the world.
To achieve this, we must first break down the barriers within ourselves.
Differences must not become hostility, and hatred, exclusion, and conflict must not obstruct the nation's progress.
In the face of a national competition that is reshaping the global economic landscape, the people, government, central and local authorities, businesses, and workers are all one team.
No matter how different our thoughts and interests may be, the country where we and future generations will live is one.
The aspiration to "leave a better country" is one.
The people's sovereign government will take the lead in politics of compromise and coexistence.
We will respect differences while seeking common solutions, and while competing, we will unite in front of the nation's future.
Thus, we will write a new history of liberation together with the people.
We will achieve a liberation of hope that frees us from the frustrations of growth and the anxieties of the future, a liberation of opportunity that allows everyone to challenge beyond imbalances and inequalities, a liberation of balance where new possibilities bloom across the land, and a liberation of peace that completely removes the threats of war and confrontation.
The leap of Korea will lead to the prosperity of the world, our culture will connect the globe, and peace on the Korean Peninsula will contribute to world peace, achieving the liberation of an Irreplaceable Korea.
With the wisdom of the great sovereign as our guiding light, we will boldly lead the world toward freedom, equality, coexistence, and mutual prosperity that our ancestors longed for.
I believe this is the way to properly respond to the dedication of our ancestors, who never lost sight of the dream of a new Korea even in the face of great hardships.
Thank you.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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