2019 Moon Jae-in President of the Republic of Korea SELECTED SPEECHES 2_english

Moon Jae-in

President of the Republic of Korea

SELECTED SPEECHES Ⅱ May 10‚ 2018 – May 09‚ 2019

Moon Jae-in

President of the Republic of Korea

SELECTED SPEECHES Ⅱ May 10‚ 2018 – May 09‚ 2019

8 1 20 9 1 0 2

e h t f o t n e a e id r s o e r P f K in o c i ubl on Jaep e R Mo

The World of Ordinary People Precisely a century ago, a new era opened in Korea through the collective strength of ordinary people. Koreans were subjected to the colonial rule of the Japanese Empire, and they began their independence manse movement. on April 11, 1919, and the “Provisional Charter of the Constitution” was promulgated. The Republic of Korea clearly presented itself as a democratic republic rather than as a monarchy. Ordinary people in Korea who fought against the colonial oppression and discrimination they faced a century ago ushered in the era of a democratic republic. The spirit of the March First Independence Movement has been rekindled whenever the country became something other than a “properly functioning nation.”

I consider it to be the way for ordinary people, by participating in the decision-making processes that impact their own lives and letting their voices be heard, to secure their rights as citizens and their dignity as human beings. We can build a better democracy.

Quoted in President Moon Jae-in's Contribution for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 2019. 05

2018~2019

Together with People Moon Jae-in Administration’s Second Year

‌ July 03

Launching Ceremony of the Presidential Commission on the Centennial Anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and the Korean Provisional Government

‌ July 08~10

State Visit to India / Korea-India Summit

May 22~24

Korea-U.S. Summit

‌ July 11~13

May 26

State Visit to Singapore / Korea-Singapore Summit

Inter-Korean Summit at Panmunjeom

2018

MAY

‌ ‌

JUN

JUL

AUG

June 06

63rd Memorial Day

June 21~23

State Visit to Russia / Address at the State Duma / Korea-Russia Summit

‌

August 15

73rd Liberation Day

September 06

November 08

Presentation of the Vision and Strategy for an Inclusive Nation Where Everyone Prospers

1st Korea-Russia Regional Cooperation Forum

September 10

20th Korea-ASEAN Summit

Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s State Visit to Korea / Korea-Indonesia Summit

September 18~20

November 15

ASEAN + 3 Summit / East Asia Summit

November 17~18

Inter-Korean Summit at Pyeongyang

September 25

November 14

APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting

Address at a Joint Conference Co-hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Korea Society and Asia Society

November 29~30 G20 Summit

September 26

Address at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly

2019

SEP

OCT

NOV

JAN

DEC

February 14

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s Official Visit to Korea / Korea-Austria Summit

February 15

October 01

Strategy Meeting on Reforming National Intelligence Agency, Prosecution Service and Police

70th Armed Forces Day

October 05

12th World Korean Day

February 19

Public Presentation on Inclusive-nation Social Policies

October 13~18

State Visit to France / Korea-France Summit Official Visit to Italy / Special Mass for Peace on Korean Peninsula

October 19

12th ASEM Summit

October 20

1st Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030(P4G) Summit

February 21~22

December 02~04

State Visit to New Zealand / Korea-New Zealand Summit

December 10

2018 Human Rights Day

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to Korea / Korea-India Summit

February 27

UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Official Visit to Korea / Korea-UAE Summit

January 10

2019 New Year Press Conference

January 23

Fair Economy Strategy Meeting

January 28

The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s State Visit to Korea / Korea-Qatar Summit

January 31

Signing Ceremony of the Gwangju-type Job Creation Project

FEB

MAR

MAY

APR May 09

Special Talk with President Moon Jae-in Marking Two Years in Office

April 02

Expanded Tourism Strategy Meeting

March 01

April 04

March 10~11

April 10~12

March 12~13

April 16~17

100th March First Independence Movement Day State Visit to Brunei / Korea-Brunei Summit State Visit to Malaysia / Korea-Malaysia Summit

March 14~16

State Visit to Cambodia / Korea-Cambodia Summit

March 21

Innovative Finance Vision Declaration Ceremony

March 22

63rd Newspaper Day Ceremony Official Working Visit to the U.S. State Visit to Turkmenistan / Korea-Turkmenistan Summit

April 18~20

State Visit to Uzbekistan / Korea-Uzbekistan Summit

April 21~23

2019 World Water Day Ceremony

State Visit to Kazakhstan / Korea-Kazakhstan Summit

March 26

April 29

The King of the Belgians’ State Visit to Korea / Korea-Belgium Summit

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera’s State Visit to Korea / Korea-Chile Summit

Announcement on the Second Inter-Korean Summit (May 27, 2018)

Address at the State Duma of Russia (June 21, 2018)

Launching Ceremony of Commemoration Project Committee for the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Provisional Republic of Korea Government and March First Independence Movement Day (July 3, 2018)

73rd Liberation Day Ceremony (August 15, 2018)

Inclusive-Nation Strategy Meeting (September 06, 2018)

Address at May Day Stadium in Pyeongyang (September 18, 2018)

Pyeongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 (September 19, 2018)

Visiting Mountain Baekdu and Heaven Lake (September 20, 2018)

70th Armed Forces Day (October 01, 2018)

A Joint Press Conference Following the 2018 France-Korea Summit (October 15, 2018)

Private Meeting with Pope Francis on the Official Visit to the Vatican (October 18, 2018)

Retreat Session of 12th ASEM Summit in Brussels (October 19, 2018)

Congratulatory Remarks on 2018 Human Rights Day (December 10, 2018)

New Year’s Press Conference (January 10, 2019)

State Visit to Korea by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (February 22, 2019)

100th March First Independence Movement Day Ceremony (March 01, 2019)

State Visit to Korea by His Majesty the King of the Belgians (March 26, 2019)

Dialogue with Foreign-Invested Companies (March 28, 2019)

Korea-U.S. Bilateral Meeting (April 11, 2019)

Preface It has been exactly two years since the Moon Jae-in Administration was launched. Presidential speeches always attract people’s attention. This volume contains public speeches made by the President and remarks given at major meetings between May 10, 2018 and May 9, 2019.

The Moon Jae-in Administration was born out of the Candlelight Revolution. It was ordered by the people to create a fair and just society. The Moon Jae-in Administration has relentlessly worked around the clock over the past two years to make “a properly functioning nation” out of a desperate need to rebuild the country. Though feeling weary at times and facing resistance at other times, it has never sidestepped or backed down. At every difficult juncture, the people have reached out and lent support.

This volume offers a record of how hard the Moon Jae-in Administration has worked to the best of its ability to restore the people’s shattered pride and create a country where all can prosper together. Moreover, it presents a chapter in the country’s history when we took up the challenge of fundamentally transforming economic and social structures.

Last year, Korea’s exports surpassed US$600 billion for the first time ever. The era of per capita income of US$30,000 has dawned. Korea emerged as the sixth largest exporter in the world and became the seventh country in the world to join the 30-50 club of economic powerhouses with a population of over 50 million and per capita income exceeding US$30,000. Regrettably, however, it is still too early to say that the lives of all people have completely improved. This is why we should never ease up on efforts to lay the foundation for an inclusive nation to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are distributed to each and every citizen in an equitable manner.

The key to surmounting adverse economic conditions at home and abroad lies in peace on the Korean Peninsula. We will do our best to help settle peace on the Peninsula through denuclearization because such a peace is an essential prerequisite for our survival and an engine for future growth.

This year, we will redouble our efforts to ensure that the results of government policies are felt by the people in their everyday lives. The presidential speeches included in this volume contain the endeavors to help all the people find a way toward prospering together in peace.

I hope that the people will remain united, sometimes as our traveling companions and other times as level-headed observers.

The Moon Jae-in Administration will make the past two years a mirror that reflects the future before us. We will always walk together with the people, never losing sight of our original intention to fulfill their expectations. Thank you for your interest in our work.

May 10, 2019 Chief of Staff to the President Noh Young Min

Notes 1. In this volume, all place names and those personal names are spelled in accordance with the Revised Romanization of Korean by the National Institute of Korean Language.

Ex) PyeongChang (평창), Panmunjeom (판문점)

2. The full standard names of provinces and other places on the Korean Peninsula are romanized according to Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism guidelines (so nonnative speakers are able to pronounce the names in ways the Korean population can readily understand). In the first reference, key Korean descriptive words appear again in translation for clarity. Afterward, the translated portions are removed to avoid needless repetition.

Ex) “경상북도” and “백두산” are “Gyeongsangbuk-do Province” and “Baekdusan Mountain” upon first reference, but simply “Gyeongsangbuk-do” and “Baekdusan” thereafter.

CONTENTS

01.

Report to the Nation on the May 26 Inter-Korean Summit

02.

Address on the 63rd Memorial Day

03.

Address at the State Duma of Russia

04.

Message for the Ceremony Honoring the United Nations Korean War Veterans

040

05.

Remarks at the Korea-India Business Forum

043

06.

Korea-India Joint Press Statement

048

07.

Opening Remarks at Joint Press Conference Following Korea-Singapore Summit

051

08.

Remarks at the Korea-Singapore Business Forum

054

09.

Address at the Singapore Lecture

059

10.

Remarks at Luncheon for Independence Activists and Surviving Family Members

067

11.

Remarks on Japanese Military Comfort Women Victims Memorial Day

072

12.

Address on Korea’s 73rd Liberation Day

075

13.

Opening Remarks at Inclusive-Nation Strategy Meeting

083

14.

Remarks at a Joint Press Conference Following the Korea-Indonesia Summit

086

15.

Congratulatory Remarks at 70th Anniversary Ceremony for Judicial Branch of Republic of Korea

089

16.

Statement at a Joint Press Conference Following the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit in Pyeongyang

093

024 027

032

17.

Address at May Day Stadium in Pyeongyang

097

18.

Report to the Nation on the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit in Pyeongyang

100

19.

Address at a Joint Conference Co-hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Korea Society and Asia Society

104

20.

Address of the Republic of Korea at the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

110

21.

Address on the 70th Armed Forces Day

116

22.

Remarks on the 12th World Korean Day

119

23.

Keynote Address at France-Korea Business Leaders Summit

123

24.

Remarks During Special Mass at Vatican for Peace on Korean Peninsula

127

25.

Remarks at Retreat Session of 12th ASEM Summit in Brussels

131

26. Address at Partnering for Green Growth and

the Global Goals 2030(P4G) Summit

133

27.

Congratulatory Remarks at 1st Korea-Russia Regional Cooperation Forum

137

28.

Closing Remarks at 20th ASEAN-ROK Summit

142

29. Closing Remarks at ASEAN+3 Summit

145

30.

148

Remarks at East Asia Summit

31. Remarks at 2018 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting

151

CONTENTS

32.

Remarks at Retreat Session of 13th G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina

154

• Remarks at First Session of 13th G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina –Putting People First–

157

• Remarks at Second Session of 13th G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina

159

33.

Opening Remarks at Joint Press Conference Following Korea-New Zealand Summit

162

34. Congratulatory Remarks on 2018 Human Rights Day

166

35. Remarks at New Year’s Gathering with Business and Social Leaders

172

36.

Opening Remarks at New Year Press Conference

37.

Remarks at Strategy Meeting on Reforming National

Intelligence Agency, Prosecution Service and Police

177 188

38. Opening Remarks at Public Presentation on Inclusive-nation Social Policies

192

39. Address on 100th March First Independence Movement Day

196

40.

Keynote Address at Malaysia-Korea Business Forum

204

41.

Remarks at Joint Press Conference Following Korea-Cambodia Summit

209

42.

Remarks at Innovative Finance Vision Declaration Ceremony

212

43. Remarks at 2019 World Water Day Ceremony (7th Stop of Nationwide Economic Tour: Daegu)

217

44.

221

Opening Remarks at Dialogue with Foreign-Invested Companies

45. Opening Remarks at Meeting with Leaders of Civil Society Organizations

224

46.

Opening Remarks at Expanded Tourism Strategy Meeting

227

47.

Address at 63rd Newspaper Day Ceremony

232

48.

Remarks at Ceremony Celebrating Republic of Korea Launching World’s First 5G Commercial Service

236

49.

Remarks On Centennial of Provisional Government at 14th Cabinet Meeting

241

50.

Remarks at Joint Press Conference Following Korea-Turkmenistan Summit

244

51.

Remarks at Joint Press Conference Following Korea-Uzbekistan Summit

248

52. Address at Legislative Chamber of Republic of Uzbekistan

250

53.

257

Remarks at Joint Press Conference Following Korea-Kazakhstan Summit

54. Remarks at Presentation for Peace Economy Vision Strategy (8th Stop of Nationwide Economic Tour: Gangwon-do Province)

261

55.

Video Message on 1st Anniversary of Panmunjom Declaration

266

56.

Remarks at Ceremony to Unveil System Semiconductor Vision

267

Contribution “The Greatness of the Ordinary” - Reflecting on the new world order

274

SELECTED SPEECHES President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in

2018

01.

MAY 27, 2018

REPORT TO THE NATION ON THE MAY 26 INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT

Fellow Koreans, Yesterday afternoon, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un and I held the second inter-Korean summit at Tongilgak on the northern side of Panmunjeom. It has been exactly one month since the first summit was held at Peace House on the southern side of Panmunjeom on April 27.

At the last summit, we two leaders promised to meet at anytime and anyplace without considering protocol if a need arose to put our heads together and discuss issues important to the Koreans.

In the afternoon, the day before yesterday, Chairman Kim conveyed his wish to meet me without any formality, and I readily agreed. I have long emphasized how important it is for the leaders of the two Koreas to meet regularly and communicate directly with each other as a means of overcoming inter-Korean confrontation and discord. It is one of the items contained in the April 27 *Panmunjom Declaration. In this context, I attach a great significance to yesterday’s summit, which was held like a routine meeting between friends, as I do to the historic inter-Korean summit in April. I believe it must be the way the South and the North meet.

My fellow Koreans, We two leaders had a candid, heart-to-heart conversation ahead of the North Korea-United States summit.

Explaining the result of the summit that U.S. President Donald Trump and I held last week, I delivered the message of President Trump that he has a firm resolve to put an end to hostility against North Korea and work for economic cooperation with the North if Chairman Kim decisively determines complete * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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MAY 10‚ 2018-MAY 09‚ 2019

denuclearization and puts it into action.

In particular, since both Chairman Kim and President Trump are sincerely hoping for the success of their summit, I emphasized that it is necessary for the two sides to engage in direct talks to eliminate misunderstandings and have sufficient preliminary, working-level negotiations concerning the agenda that needs to be agreed upon at the summit. Chairman Kim expressed his agreement.

Chairman Kim made clear once again his intentions to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula as he did in the Panmunjom Declaration.

He expressed his willingness to work together to promote peace and prosperity as well as to put an end to the history of war and confrontation through the success of the North Korea-United States summit.

Sharing a common understanding that the June 12 North Korea-U.S. summit should be held in a successful manner and that our journey for denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula must not stop under any circumstances, we two leaders

REPORT TO THE NATION ON THE MAY 26 INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT

025

agreed to closely work together to this end. We also reconfirmed the need to accelerate the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration.

To this end, we agreed to convene the inter-Korean high-level talks on June 1 to be followed by the talks between the military authorities to ease military tensions and the Red Cross talks for the reunion of separated families.

We gave a high evaluation to the fact that the summit yesterday was arranged in a speedy manner without sticking to formalities as the occasion demanded and agreed to communicate or sit together to have candid discussions whenever necessary.

Fellow citizens, In hindsight, we have always felt uneasy for a long time through last year.

Anxiety and fear about our security not only affected the economy and diplomacy but also the daily lives of the people. This was one of the biggest reasons that led Korea’s politics to fall behind.

However, we are now changing the course of history. We made the PyeongChang Winter Olympics an Olympics of peace and paved a new way of peace and prosperity at Panmunjeom, which used to be a symbol of tension and confrontation in the past. North Korea showed its determination by voluntarily suspending nuclear tests and missile launches and dismantling the nuclear test site in Punggye-ri.

This is only a start. However, it is not anything that has been witnessed in the past. It will be a whole new beginning. When the top of a mountain starts to become visible, taking a step forward becomes even harder. As such, the road to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peace will never be easy. However, as President, I will take the road and will succeed without fail by fully exercising my authority and fulfilling the duty entrusted to me by the Korean people.

I hope all of you join the effort altogether.

Thank you very much.

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02.

JUNE 06, 2018

ADDRESS ON THE 63rd MEMORIAL DAY

Fellow Koreans, decorated patriots and veterans, families of the fallen, I can hardly imagine the sheer weight of longing for your lost loved ones that you carried with you when coming here. In many places on my way here, I came across those who had enshrined their loved ones whom they miss so much deep in their hearts.

Marking the 63rd Memorial Day today, I am once again reminded of the fact that the souls of those who sacrificed their lives protecting us in service to the country were all once our neighbors and family members.

With my profound reverence for patriots and veterans who dedicated themselves to the people and the nation with distinction, I offer my heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families.

My fellow Koreans, The history of the Republic of Korea is made up of all the ordinary days of our neighbors and relatives. It is a history carved out by our daughters and sons who have started every morning waving with smiles before leaving for work and faithfully fulfilled their responsibilities.

It was our neighbors and other ordinary citizens who took the lead in shouting chants for Korea’s independence under Japanese colonial rule, went to war to defend the country, worked hard to contribute to the country’s economic development and took to the streets with their bare hands when Korean democracy was in peril. Many of our neighbors were sacrificed in the process. The Daejeon National Cemetery here is the place where those who were sacrificed are buried to rest in peace.

Independence activists and war veterans decorated for their actions are here.

The guardian spirits of the Dokdo volunteer garrison and soldiers killed in action in the battle of Yeonpyeong and North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong

ADDRESS ON THE 63rd MEMORIAL DAY

027

Island as well as sailors sacrificed in the sinking of the Cheonan are honored here. Gravesites for firefighters and police officers as well as civil servants who died in the line of duty are here. A graveyard for the righteous has been separately created to honor their noble sacrifices.

In 2006, Chae Jong-min, a mechanic who dreamed of becoming the owner of an auto service center, saved a drowning nine-year-old and passed away at sea. In 2009, Hwang Ji-yeong, an administrative intern at Gimje Agricultural Development Technology Center, and Geum Na-rae, a nursery school teacher, were hit by a car and lost their lives while helping people who had been in a traffic accident. In 2016, Ahn Chi-beom, a university student who aspired to become a voice-over actor, went into a building that had caught fire and rescued all his neighbors, but he himself did not survive.

For the bereaved families, an eternal longing and sorrow must remain. They, however, let us know that courage to help others is embedded within us.

Warm-heartedness toward neighbors has turned into a righteous life. A day spent with the best effort for the family has become a source of extraordinary bravery. And that has become the strength to prop up the Republic of Korea.

Thanks to their dedication, we could be awakened to the fact that ordinary people like ourselves are the rightful owners of the nation.

My fellow citizens, The reason why our families are so precious to us is that we believe that they will stand by us in the face of difficulties. The same is true for the nation.

When we have a firm belief that we can get help from the nation at any time, we can fully dedicate ourselves to the nation. This is what true patriotism is all about.

This morning I visited the graveyard of fallen soldiers without surviving relatives. Paying respects at the grave of Sergeant First Class Kim Ki-eok, I had time to think about the trust a nation can give to its people. Even though he sacrificed his youth for the nation at 22, his grave has been left unattended as time has gone by.

The Republic of Korea will never again leave them alone. We will remember and take care of them forever. We have to remember all the fallen soldiers without surviving relatives in the name of the Republic of Korea. This is the only due answer to their dedication to and confidence in our country, and this is our country’s role and responsibility, which enables our people to put trust in the country.

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MAY 10‚ 2018-MAY 09‚ 2019

Fellow Koreans, decorated patriots and veterans and families of fallen heroes, Ensuring the welfare of veterans and patriots is to express respect for their devotion to the nation. It is also to deeply engrave upon our mind the fact that sacrificing for others is to live an invaluable life. Therefore, it constitutes the fundamentals of building a properly functioning country. My Administration is striving to better repay the sacrifices of our veterans and patriots as part of efforts to honor all patriotic acts.

Up until now, we have failed to properly take care of the descendants of the independence activists. However, it is very fortunate that descendants of decorated independence activists, including their grandchildren, have now become eligible for the living allowance. In January this year, the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs made a personal visit to Yi Ae-hee, who is 82 years old, and gave her a living allowance. She is the granddaughter of independence activist Yi Dong-nyeong who led the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea for about 20 years, serving as the President, the President of Governance and the Prime Minister. Her remark, “It finally helped me deserve the life I’ve carried on so far. I don’t have to feel sorry to my grandfather anymore,” makes us feel ashamed.

ADDRESS ON THE 63rd MEMORIAL DAY

029

My Administration upgraded the status of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to a cabinet-level ministry, and the government budget for veterans affairs has surpassed 5 trillion won this year for the first time.

In January this year, a new special group for ceremonies was created at the National Cemetery, so it has now become possible to hold burial services for decorated independence activists with dignity and exceptional respect of the nation. The special allowance for surviving patriotic activists has increased by 50 percent, and the monthly war veterans’ allowance and the allowance for those having given distinguished military service have both increased by 80,000 won.

A new instruction concerning the conferment of a banner to express the condolences of the President has been issued. On June 1, the first day when the instruction was enforced, the first presidential condolence banner was delivered in a respectful manner by government officials to the funeral hall of decorated patriot Kim Ki-yoon.

Incheon Veterans Hospital will be opened in August. Veterans chronic care hospitals will be newly established in Gangwon-do and Jeollabuk-do provinces so that decorated patriots and all veterans can receive medical and nursing services close by, and professional rehabilitation centers are scheduled to be built in Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon.

The restoration of the general headquarters of the Korean Liberation Army established in Chongqing by the Provisional Government of Korea is scheduled to be completed by April 2019 in cooperation with the Chinese Government, marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Provisional Government.

The excavation of remains of soldiers and police officers who died during the Korean War will be continued until the remains of the last person are found. When inter-Korean relations improve, the excavation of remains in the Demilitarized Zone will be carried out first. It will also be possible to unearth the remains of foreign war veterans, including American soldiers.

Ordinances were modified to repay for all the sacrifices and devotion for the people. In March, there was a regrettable incident in which three firefighters were killed on duty. However, Kim Eun-yeong and Mun Sae-mi, who were still trainees, could not be acknowledged as decorated patriots because they had not been officially appointed. There must not be any case of injustice in which people who have made equal sacrifices for the people and country are

030

MAY 10‚ 2018-MAY 09‚ 2019

discriminated against because of their status. My Administration modified the ordinances for the appointment of firefighters so that those who are in job training, including the two mentioned, can be recognized as having died in the line of duty. The ceremony for the unveiling of tombstones for the three firefighters will be held here today. I express my wholehearted condolences to their parents and other relatives who bade a tearful goodbye to their daughters.

Fellow citizens, A sincere and respectful treatment for decorated patriots will not be completed until they and their bereaved families can take pride in themselves. The stories of their lives have to be truly embedded in the minds of those in the next generation. All of our people should take interest in the issue together so that our children and grandchildren can remember our forebears’ dedication to the country and respect the lives of patriots and righteous persons. There should be no differences between the conservatives and progressives when it comes to patriotism and veterans affairs. I ask the people to unite in the effort to make our nation a properly functioning country. It will be the strength of the Republic of Korea and our future.

Each local government is engaging in a project to attach nameplates on the houses of decorated patriots in order to indicate their national merit. The designs of nameplates vary from region to region, and some of them lack dignity. The Government will take charge of the project so that a sense of respect for decorated patriots can be shared with their neighbors.

Today, I take great pride in all the neighbors and families of the Republic of Korea who have cultivated a tender heart to care for each other in their ordinary daily lives.

When we are willing to cherish and protect each other, all of us will be righteous people and patriots.

In the name of the Republic of Korea, I will honor and uphold the spirit of the souls of fallen heroes, righteous people and martyrs for democracy. I will make sure that our country will fulfill its role and responsibility to ease by a little the sorrow and yearning of the bereaved families.

Thank you.

ADDRESS ON THE 63rd MEMORIAL DAY

031

03.

‌JUNE 21, 2018

ADDRESS AT THE STATE DUMA OF RUSSIA

Distinguished people of Russia, the Honorable Chairman Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin and members of the State Duma, On my flight to Moscow, I pondered over a sense of awe which the vast earth brings to human beings. It came to my mind that how that feeling enabled Russians to understand nature and human beings in more profound manner.

Russia has left behind great footprints in the world history with its long-term approaches as huge as the Eurasian continent. Russia changed the course of the world history with the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War. It has simultaneously led the intellectual history of humanity and the advancement of science and technology.

The State Duma was also created by the people power of Russia. It now represents the voices of the Russian public and demonstrates the united strength of the Russian people.

I am deeply grateful to Chairman Volodin, Deputy Chairman Olga Timofeeva, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky and other members of the State Duma for arranging an opportunity for me to address the State Duma, the first by a President of the Republic of Korea.

It is a great honor for me, indeed. At the same time, I can feel the anticipation of the Russian Government and Assembly as well as people looking forward to a new development between our two countries.

Distinguished people of Russia, A Russian historian and geographer Lev Gumilyov remarked: “If Russia is to be saved, it will only be as a Eurasian power and only through Eurasianism.”

The vast, sprawling continent of Eurasia is a space in which large and small civilizations move forward toward the future through exchanges and

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MAY 10‚ 2018-MAY 09‚ 2019

cooperation, fostering hopes.

President Vladimir Putin’s New East Policy is the declaration of a Eurasian era envisioning peace and common prosperity. It is a magnificent design aimed at mapping out a new vision for humanity by containing the strengths of Western and Eastern civilizations in the mighty melting pot of Eurasia.

The Korean people are also aspiring to peace and common prosperity in all of Northeast Asia beyond permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. The New Northern Policy I unveiled at the Eastern Economic Forum last year is the dream of the Korean people in response to the New East Policy.

Regarding Korea-Russia cooperation as the cornerstone of peace on the Korean Peninsula and prosperity in Northeast Asia, I have made wholehearted efforts thus far. Immediately after I was elected President, I spoke by phone to President Putin and sent a special envoy to Russia, the first of such kind by a Korean President, to discuss how to work together for the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and the development of the Russian Far East.

In addition, I established the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic

ADDRESS AT THE STATE DUMA OF RUSSIA

033

Cooperation exclusively charged with economic collaboration with Russia to be in step with the Ministry for Development of Russian Far East.

President Putin invited me to the Eastern Economic Forum last September, and I took that opportunity to present the New Northern Policy and discussed with him practical measures for economic cooperation between Korea and Russia.

In January this year, a meaningful event took place in Geoje Island, my hometown, which would help divert the eyes of the people around the world to Eurasia and the Arctic. The ice-breaking LNG Carrier Vladimir Rusanov, named after a Russian Arctic explorer, set sail on a trial run. I attended a ceremony and offered congratulations on the completion of the vessel and proudly announced to the world what Russia and Korea had achieved together.

Today, I hope the endeavors of Koreans who intend to come together with Russia will truly get across to you. I believe our friendship will be able to open wide the boundless possibilities of Eurasia.

Distinguished Russians, Many Koreans have in their studies novels written by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Turgenev and an anthology of Pushkin. When I was young, I, too, used to ask myself the meaning of human beings, nature, history and life following unfamiliar Russian geographical names and characters in literary works.

Modern Russian literary works introduced to Korea in the early 20th century had a major impact on the development of Korean contemporary literature.

In fact, Russian literature was a humanism textbook in Korea. Remarkable descriptions of the dignity and spirit of human beings imprinted the importance of spiritual values on us who are living in a material civilization.

Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut in the world who journeyed into outer space, gave us enlightenment more than science and technology. He let us know how precious the earth is and what an absolute being it is.

The potential of Russia lies in the deep understanding of human beings. That became the strength of the Russian people who never cave in to any challenge or difficulty.

Koreans have also traditionally respected human beings and valued cooperation and mutual trust, which has helped my country overcome

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countless invasions and emerge as a nation standing tall in the international community today. Among countries that achieved independence following the end of the World War II, the Republic of Korea was the only country to achieve high economic growth and democratic progress.

Like the people of Russia, Koreans are very strong mentally, too. I think this is the reason why our two peoples love Tolstoy.

Distinguished people of Russia, Exactly 202 years ago, Korean diplomatic envoy Cho In-young met with Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church mission, in Peking, China, and developed friendship with him. Since then, our two countries have continued to foster relations of friendship and mutual respect.

In 1905, Lee Beom-jin, Korea’s first Diplomatic Minister residing in Russia, heard the news of the deprivation of his country’s diplomatic sovereignty. At that time, it was the Russian Government that lent a warm-hearted helping hand to him. Korea’s countless independence activists, including Ahn Junggeun, Hong Beom-do, Choi Jae-hyeong and Lee Sang-seol, sought asylum in Russia, where they mustered their strength again with the help of the Russian people and strived to work out ways to restore national sovereignty.

At the end of the 1980s, the Korean Government pushed for the Northern Policy to tear down the wall of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula.

At that time, the Soviet Government transcended the barrier of ideology and dispatched a large national squad to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Friendship and mutual trust were built up between the peoples of the two countries, and finally, the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1990.

Now, automobiles and home appliances produced by Korean companies in Russia are received well by the Russian people. Russia transferred its advanced space technology to Korea in 2013, which made it possible for Korea to successfully launch the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, Naro.

In May this year, President Putin announced the National Goals and Strategic Objectives of the Russian Federation through 2024. It aims at bringing about changes that can be felt by the people and building an economy where each and every one is well off. The people-centered economy I am pursuing shares the same goals. It is aimed at returning the benefits of economic growth to the

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people in an equitable manner.

The dreams of our two countries for the Russian Far East are not different.

Striving for peace and prosperity in Eurasia is a mission entrusted to us by the peoples of our two nations.

Distinguished people of Russia, Chairman Volodin and members of the State Duma, The year 2020 will mark the 30th anniversary of Russia and Korea newly becoming neighbors to each other. In line with this meaningful 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, our two countries mapped out concrete plans to strengthen cooperation for the development of Eurasia and achieve US$30 billion in trade and one million people-to-people exchanges.

I would like to take this opportunity to explain how to expand cooperation between our two countries.

First is to expand future growth engines. Preparing for future growth through innovations is of cardinal importance in providing job opportunities in our two countries and cementing the foundation for sustainable growth.

A Korea-Russia Innovation Center will be established in Korea, and the KoreaRussia Science and Technology Cooperation Center in Moscow will be further expanded. I hope that Russia, which has the world’s best original technologies and basic science and technology, and Korea, which has strength in IT, will work together to jointly lead the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Second is to seek Russian Far East development cooperation. At the 3rd Eastern Economic Forum last year, I proposed cooperation between our two countries centering on the nine-bridge strategy. We need to further strengthen cooperation in nine key areas: namely, shipbuilding, port construction, the Northern Sea Route development, gas exploration, railway construction, power generation, job creation, the farming industry and the fishing industry.

It is also necessary to expand the participation by the private sector. As of now, preparations are being made to hold forums on cooperation between the Russian Far East and Korean local governments.

Third is to strengthen the foundation for the promotion of exchanges to enhance the welfare of the people. One of the top priorities of the National

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Goals and Strategic Objectives of the Russian Federation through 2024 is to improve public health for the sake of raising the quality of life.

In order to cooperate in carrying out this task, Korea’s advanced medical technologies will be brought to the Skolkovo Innovation Center, Russia.

A state-of-the-art Korean-type general hospital, which will be established through cooperation between Russian and Korean businesses, will provide medical services specializing in treatments of cancers, kidney function and cerebral nerves as well as assistance for rehabilitation.

I hope that close cooperation between our two countries will enable the two peoples to lead happier lives. I hope that they will be able to realize the importance of the relationship between our two nations in their everyday lives.

Distinguished Russian citizens, Tomorrow is the 77th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It is a day of honoring the memory of numerous heroes and expressing condolences for innocent victims who passed away.

I hope it will be a day to once again remind ourselves of the importance of peace not only for the Russia people but also everyone across the world.

The preciousness of peace can be more deeply felt by those who devoted themselves to building peace amid the ravages of war.

Not only Russia but Korea also experienced horrendous wars. I was born a son of a refugee as well, and I have keenly felt the pains of war and the preciousness of peace from early on.

A great historic transformation is now underway on the Korean Peninsula. I met with Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea last April. Through the *Panmunjom Declaration, we promised to the world the complete denuclearization of Korea and stated, “there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula.”

In the North Korea-United States summit that followed, the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the end of long-lasting hostile relations between the two countries were declared. North Korea is taking substantive measures for the complete denuclearization such as the * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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dismantlement of the nuclear and the missile testing sites. South Korea and the United States are responding by easing military pressure against the North, including the suspension of large-scale joint military exercises. Now the two Koreas and the United States are leaving the dark days of war and hostility behind and moving toward an era of peace and cooperation.

The active support and cooperation of the Russian Government and people have become a huge force behind this amazing transformation. I have dreamed of permanent peace and common prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Eurasia. I believe the representatives here will work together toward that goal.

When a peace regime is established on the Korean Peninsula, interKorean economic cooperation will begin in earnest and will be expanded into tripartite cooperation among the two Koreas and Russia. Speaking of tripartite economic cooperation, basic discussions, including joint research on railways, gas pipelines and electric grids, have already begun. If such trilateral cooperation is achieved, it will be able to make a strong foundation for an economic community in Northeast Asia. A solid peace regime between the two Koreas will also be able to develop into a multilateral peace and security cooperation regime in the region.

Distinguished Russian citizens and members of the State Duma, The Trans-Siberian railway from the Yaroslavsky Railway Station here in Moscow to Vladivostok, the port in the Maritime Province, is not merely a single railroad. It is a path of life built by the golden hands of Russian workers and a path of civilization and peace that has expanded the horizon of the world’s awareness. It is not just a path on which goods and resources are transported but also which connects the East and West in the middle of Eurasia. It is the very gateway that opens an era of Eurasia.

The Trans-Siberian train that has been the center of overland transportation for over a century is becoming a symbol and foundation for building a Eurasian community. Now Korea anticipates, through building the permanent peace on the Peninsula, the Trans-Siberian railways will again reach Busan, Southern tip of the Korean Peninsula where I grew up.

I hope that South and North Korea will be able to join in developing the new potential of Eurasia and achieving mutual prosperity of the region.

The Russian saying, “Two heads are better than one,” is what we need now. If

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the wisdom of north Korea is combined to those of the Russia and Korea, the dream of the Eurasia will unfold as vast as the size of the Continent.

Finally, I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the successful hosting of the World Cup, a global festival.

I joined other Koreans in giving a big hand to Russian athletes who demonstrated great performances at the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games in February. I hope that Russian people will encourage Korean soccer players participating in the World Cup with warm cheers.

The Russian and Korean people have confidence in the new future of the two countries. If we build deeper respect for and trust in each other, we will be able to prevail over any difficulty and challenge together.

There lies a new hope of humanity in Eurasia where nature and people coexist.

Russia and Korea will march together toward an era of peace and prosperity, moving beyond an era of war. Спасибо большое. Thank you very much.

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04.

‌ JUNE 26, 2018

MESSAGE FOR THE CEREMONY HONORING THE UNITED NATIONS KOREAN WAR VETERANS

Sixty-eight years ago, countless young people in 21 countries opened an atlas.

They searched for Korea that was engulfed by the dark clouds of war. They left their families with a promise they would certainly return and tightened their bootstraps.

What these brave young people harbored in their hearts was a sense of humanity and responsibility to protect freedom and peace. With that noble cause, they risked everything they had “to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.” Under the flag of the United Nations, 1.95 million troops fought in the Korean War, and over 40,000 of them lost their precious lives.

The sacrifice and dedication of every single United Nations Korean War veteran is etched into my life. In the bonechillingly cold winter of 1950, the heroic battle fought by them at the Jangjin Reservoir made the Hungnam evacuation a success. Among the refugees aboard the SS Meredith Victory at that time were my parents. I was born in Geoje Island where they had taken refuge and grew up in Busan.

The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan is the only U.N. Forces graveyard in the world designated by the United Nations. It is a sanctuary honoring the 40,895 fallen soldiers of the U.N. Forces who were killed or missing during the Korean War. It is the place that informs the world of their sacrifices and devotion and reminds future generations of the fact that only genuine courage can defend freedom and peace.

Today, I am very pleased to be able to say that blood and sweat shed by the United Nations Korean War veterans has never been in vain. The Republic of Korea rose yet again from the rubble of war and achieved high-flying economic growth and the development of democracy. The country has never forgotten the mind of the war veterans who said, “Korea is my second

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homeland and Koreans are my family.” It was able to be reborn as a nation that emanates the light of peace from a country steeped in the tragedy of war.

Furthermore, the country now engages in U.N. peacekeeping operations at any place on the earth where peace is needed. Keeping in mind the friendship you have shown to us, the Republic of Korea is returning the favor for the peace of other peoples.

Korean troops have successfully completed recovery and reconstruction projects in Somalia, Angola, East Timor and Haiti and a medical assistance mission in Western Sahara. Now, the Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon and the Hanbit Unit in South Sudan are carrying out their missions as U.N. Peacekeeping Forces. One nurse, who was dispatched to Korea as a member of the German medical aid corps after the Korean War, said, “If it was a nighttime at that time, now is daytime.” If the achievement today by the Republic of Korea is a miracle, you, the U.N. Korean War veterans, are the very protagonists of that miracle.

We will remember each and every U.N. Korean War veteran in the name of the Republic of Korea. In addition, we will redouble our endeavors to ensure that they take pride in the Republic of Korea today, together with their families and descendants. Now, most of them are well over 80. We will exert enhanced efforts to help an increasing number of them visit Korea before too long. For those who find it difficult to visit Korea, we will arrange a special ceremony at places where they live to express our appreciation. The sacrifices and devotion of the war veterans must remain as an invaluable legacy to posterity.

My Administration will arrange the Peace Camp for Youth, through which descendants of the U.N. Korean War veterans and young Koreans will be able to share friendship and talk about the life of their heroes. Scholarships will be provided to the needy descendants of the war veterans, and assistance for their studying in Korea will be increased.

The Korean War is not a “forgotten war.” Endeavors will be made to help increase a sense of pride in having participated in the War. We plan to construct a memorial wall in the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Together with people around the world, we will remember and honor the noble sacrifice and achievement of each and every one of the fallen soldiers.

There is no border in honoring veterans by repaying their sacrifices for and dedication to the Republic of Korea. Fully repaying the courage of facing the pain of the War is to create a peaceful Korean Peninsula free of the threat of another war. Achieving peace is in a true sense the way of ensuring the welfare of veterans and honoring the fallen heroes.

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Last April, I met with Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea at Panmunjeom, the symbol of national division. We promised there would be no more war on the Korean Peninsula as well as complete denuclearization. Following the Inter-Korean summit, the North Korea-U.S. summit was successfully held. The United States and North Korea declared they would achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and end hostile relations. In addition, they promised to recover the remains of missing soldiers and prisoners of war. The remains of about 200 fallen American soldiers will return to their nation and families soon. The excavation of the remains of missing soldiers will also begin soon. The Korean Government will fulfill its responsibility so that the remains of missing U.N. soldiers, including Americans, will be fully excavated and repatriated in a swift manner.

Thanks to the sacrifice and dedication of the United Nations Korean War veterans, the Republic of Korea was able to protect freedom and peace and achieve the progress of today. The Republic of Korea will always stay together on the path to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula with the United Nations Korean War veterans. Though we live far apart, the Republic of Korea will always stay the same in remembering the war veterans. I pay respect to all war veterans and reverently wish that the fallen heroes rest in peace.

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05.

‌ JULY 09, 2018

REMARKS AT THE KOREA-INDIA BUSINESS FORUM

Chairman of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Rashesh Shah, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Park Yong-man, distinguished business leaders of Korea and India, Namaste! I am pleased to meet you all.

My visit to India reminds me of Ladakh where I went trekking 20 years ago.

The people of Ladakh were keeping their traditional lifestyle in harmony with beautiful nature. Though detached from modern civilization, they seemed to live in happiness. Today’s New Delhi shows yet another aspect. On the foundation of traditions, high-rise buildings are standing tall and roads are teeming with cars and people. The city is very young and dynamic. Coexisting in the city are the past and the future, nature and civilization, and philosophy and science. The harmony within this diversity must be the driving force behind the development of India.

As one of the four cradles of civilization, India left behind extraordinary footprints in world history. Buddhism and Hinduism originated in India, and many people around the world discipline their minds through these two religions. Out of that spiritual world come meditation and yoga. It was also India that connected the human spirit to the physical world. The number zero went beyond the visible world and opened up the possibilities of infinity. India introduced the concepts of the decimal system and fractions to mathematics.

The scope of science and technology has been unceasingly expanded because the esoteric psyche was embraced by the laws of physics. Now dominating Silicon Valley are young Indians who were influenced by the spiritual world.

New tech startups are being created even today in Bengaluru. Indian-born CEOs are leading Google, Microsoft and Adobe.

It is never by accident that India has produced Nobel laureates in many categories, including literature, physics, economics and peace. The imagination of India shines in the realm of culture as well. Bollywood has turned into a

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creative film industry. I remember the Indian movie “Haathi Mere Saathi” in the 1970s, which was about the friendship between an elephant and a man. It was the first Indian film screened in Korea and reduced many Koreans to tears at that time. Recently, “3 Idiots” and “Dangal” have enjoyed great popularity in Korea.

I pay tribute to the people and business leaders of India, who are making great contributions to human history and leading remarkable economic growth.

Distinguished business leaders of Korea and India, I intend to elevate Korean ties with India to the same level as those with the four major powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

Reflecting that commitment is the New Southern Policy. It is aimed at creating a peace-loving, people-centered community where all the people thrive together, going beyond simple economic cooperation. I defined this community by “the Three Ps”: People, Prosperity and Peace. The New Southern Policy is in line with the Act East Policy that the Indian Prime Minister is pushing for. The completion of the two policies will be marked by prosperity in all of Asia.

India and Korea have a long history of exchanges and have been friends helping each other in difficult times. Princess Heo Hwang-ok from the Indian kingdom of Ayuta came to Korea about 2,000 years ago and later became the Queen of Korea’s ancient Gaya kingdom. In addition, India dispatched a medical corps during the Korean War and kindly treated the wounds of Koreans.

Now bilateral exchanges are taking root in the everyday lives of the people.

Many Indian people drive Hyundai cars and use Samsung mobile phones while many people in Korea practice yoga to stay healthy and enjoy curry. My daughter teaches yoga in Korea. Exchanges and cooperation between the two countries help enrich the lives of both peoples.

Taking a huge step further, I propose cooperation based on deeper friendship.

India and Korea are the 7th and 11th largest economic powerhouses, respectively.

However, bilateral trade amounted to US$20 billion last year; even though the amount was not small, it fell short of our expectations. Considering the complementary technologies and industrial structures of both countries, we will be able to cooperate in limitless areas. I hope this summit serves as an

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opportunity to help achieve epoch-making progress concerning economic cooperation between the two countries.

First of all, I would like to propose “the Three Ps Plus� for India, which includes forward-looking cooperation in addition to the Three Ps. This shows my will and that of the Republic of Korea to join hands with the dynamically developing country of India in the future. Korea will actively contribute to the Make in India policy. As of now, approximately 500 Korean businesses are operating in the country; they are increasing their investments and offering quality jobs. Up until now, they have mainly engaged in the automobile, electronics and textile sectors, but they will expand operations into various other areas such as shipbuilding, medical equipment and food processing.

On top of this, I hope Korean companies will partake in large infrastructure projects to construct 100 smart cities and the Industrial Corridor connecting major cities, which the Indian Government is pushing for. In the process of industrialization, Korea has accumulated advanced technological prowess and rich experiences in developing infrastructure and planned cities. This is well evidenced by the network of expressways spreading out in all directions and

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web-like subway systems. I am confident that Korea is the ideal partner for India.

Currently, our two countries are jointly pushing ahead with the construction of the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway as well as smart cities in Kalyan-Dombivli and Bandra. The Korean Government will fully support infrastructure projects by initiating a Korea-India financial package worth US$10 billion. Most of all, cooperation between the two nations in future technology will create an enormous synergy and become a new growth engine.

As India has been concentrating on building its capability to prepare for the future, including through the Digital India initiative, Korea has also established the Presidential Committee on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and focused on seeking innovative growth. If India’s world-class basic science and software technology are combined with Korea’s applied technology and hardware, the two countries will be able to lead the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. At the bilateral summit tomorrow, the two countries are scheduled to sign an MOU on the establishment of the Korea-India Future Vision Strategy Group, under which the existing cooperation on science and technology will be expanded to include industrial technology. I am looking forward to bilateral cooperation on aerospace technology as well. A Korean satellite, KITSAT-3, was loaded onto an Indian launch vehicle and sent into orbit. If the two countries work together and succeed in exploring the Moon, it will imbue our people with great dreams and hopes.

The expansion of free trade is a shortcut to boost bilateral economic cooperation and exchanges. Now, negotiations are underway to upgrade the Korea-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and reach an agreement for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Increases in bilateral trade will benefit everyone. Bilateral people-topeople exchanges now concentrated in the information and communication technology sector will be expanded to include more diverse areas. I hope that the negotiations will be concluded at the earliest date possible.

Honorable business leaders from India and Korea, Korea now faces a historic turning point. The inter-Korean summits and the North Korea-U.S. summit paved the way toward establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. When peace is achieved, investment conditions in Korea will become even better, and there will be more business opportunities. I speak to you with confidence that it is high time to invest in Korea. If you invest in Korea, the Korean Government will help you as much as we can.

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“Help your brother’s boat across, and your own will reach the shore.” This Indian proverb holds profound meaning. It suggests that if you give somebody a hand first and help each other, you can achieve something.

Bilateral exchanges and cooperation that have continued for thousands of years are now moving toward a prosperous and hopeful future. Korea will help the boat safely arrive on the shore. I am looking forward to India joining us.

Thank you very much.

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06.

‌ JULY 10, 2018

KOREA-INDIA JOINT PRESS STATEMENT

I am deeply grateful to Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for warmly welcoming me and my delegation.

I met with Prime Minister Modi again a year after our meeting at the G20 Summit in Hamburg last July. We feel as if we are old friends since we exchanged posts on social media to commemorate the International Day of Yoga.

For the past couple of days, we have spent much time together and had indepth conversations on a variety of topics. At the National Gandhi Museum, we shared thoughts about world peace. At the dedication of the new Samsung Electronics factory in Noida, we reaffirmed our firm commitment to expanding bilateral economic cooperation.

Over the past 45 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, India and Korea have advanced bilateral ties in diverse sectors. On the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Korea in 2015, our relationship was upgraded to a special strategic partnership.

Now, three years later, Prime Minister Modi is implementing the Act East Policy that prioritizes cooperation between India and Korea, and I put priority on carrying out the New Southern Policy that upholds India as Korea’s key partner for collaboration.

At the summit today, we shared an understanding that now is the time to give concrete shape to the Korea-India special strategic partnership and raise it to new heights.

Today, Prime Minister Modi and I agreed to actively implement “the Three Ps Plus” program aimed at promoting cooperation for “People, Prosperity and Peace,” adding future growth engines in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We sought concrete measures in discussions that followed.

First, people-to-people exchanges will be enhanced to broaden mutual

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understanding and the scope of empathetic appreciation. There will be more regular reciprocal visits between the top leaders. Senior-level consultations between the two governments will be expanded to supplement and support discussions between the two leaders. Intergovernmental exchanges in various sectors will serve as a solid foundation for stronger friendship between our two countries. We agreed to work to reduce inconveniences people face traveling between the two nations by streamlining visa procedures, including the issuance of visa-on-arrival in India. We also agreed to expand peopleto-people exchanges in regard to tourism, youth programs, education, and academic advancement and push ahead with various joint cultural projects.

I heard some welcome news: detailed descriptions about Korea were included in India’s standard textbooks for the first time this year. Now, about 100 million Indian students can read in their textbooks about Korea’s history of printing, including the Tripitaka Koreana and the Buljo jikji simche yojeol, the oldest existing book from movable metal print in the world. They can also learn about Korea’s economic growth, democratization and the candlelight revolution, a shining example of democracy. As a matter of fact, the Tripitaka Koreana and the Buljo jikji simche yojeol are fruits of Buddhist culture that flourished in Korea after being introduced from India. I offer my profound appreciation to Prime Minister Modi and the Indian Government.

Second, we reached an agreement to further expand economic cooperation by making the most of the two nations’ complementary economic structures and potential for cooperation. Many Korean companies doing business all across India are leading bilateral economic cooperation, living up to Prime Minister Modi's Make in India initiative. I hope a growing number of Korean businesses will advance into the Indian market by increasing their investments, thereby laying the groundwork for mutually beneficial prosperity.

We two leaders agreed to actively implement practical measures to help bring together promising SMEs and startups from both nations and promote cooperation that extends beyond conglomerates.

In addition, we agreed to work together with special attention to ensure that Korean businesses with a competitive edge can participate in large infrastructure projects in India to construct smart cities, electric grids, railroads, highways, ports and facilities for renewable energy. We agreed to markedly increase bilateral trade to US$50 billion by 2030, up from the current US$20 billion, on the basis of the achievements of such cooperation.

Positively evaluating the initiation of negotiations with regard to the KoreaIndia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), we agreed to make endeavors for the early conclusion of the negotiations.

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Third, we agreed to more closely cooperate for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as in South Asia and the rest of the world.

I explained about our Government’s efforts and initiatives to establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and expressed my gratitude for India’s continuing support so far. In response, Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed his stance to actively cooperate for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula going forward. Moreover, we concurred on the need to bolster cooperation at regional multilateral consultative forums such as the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) for the sake of peace and stability in the region.

Finally, we decided to set up a cooperative platform to jointly respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a challenging task we are facing. When India’s talented software and information and communication technology workforces combine with Korea’s manufacturing and commercialization technology and rich experience, it will boost both countries’ national competitiveness and future growth engines. In addition, an agreement was made to expand collaboration between research institutions in the advanced science and technology fields, such as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, ICT, Internet of Things, and aerospace and bioscience industries.

Prime Minister Modi and I adopted the Korea-India Vision Statement, which reflects what was discussed and agreed to at the summit today and contains the future vision for bilateral relations. I hope that concrete steps will be taken at the earliest possible date so that the benefits will go to the peoples of our two countries.

I hope that this state visit to India helps open a new era of bilateral strategic cooperation. Regular consultations between our two leaders will be its starting point. I am looking forward to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Korea in 2020, and I hope that close communication will continue at various multilateral meetings or online until then.

Once again, I wholeheartedly thank Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for your warm friendship and welcome.

Thank you very much.

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07.

‌ JULY 12, 2018

OPENING REMARKS AT JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING KOREA-SINGAPORE SUMMIT

First of all, I am wholeheartedly grateful to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the people of Singapore for warmly welcoming me and my delegation.

Singapore and Korea have a lot in common. Both countries have achieved astounding economic growth through investment in people and unceasing innovation. Our two countries have worked together toward the common goal of a free and open economy, as well as peace and stability in the region.

Today, Prime Minister Lee and I discussed concrete measures to elevate bilateral relations a step higher in a forward-looking manner.

First, we agreed to expand exchanges between the Governments and the peoples of our two countries, a rock-solid foundation for the advancement of bilateral ties. We will begin by increasing exchanges of high-ranking officials, including ourselves. I hope what was agreed upon at today’s summit will be implemented promptly through follow-up consultations. Exchanges aimed at nurturing talent will also be expanded. We agreed to increase exchanges of our young future leaders in both countries and talented personnel in cuttingedge science and technology. The Korea-Singapore joint training program for government officials from ASEAN member states will be further upgraded as well.

Second, we reached an agreement on strengthening bilateral economic cooperation to substantively benefit the peoples of our two countries.

Singapore is Korea’s second largest trading partner and top investment destination among ASEAN member states. Leveraging opportunities from the two countries’ complementary economic structures will further enhance growth potential. Today, we agreed to work to significantly expand bilateral trade, which currently stands at about US$20 billion, and to help boost investments by swiftly finalizing negotiations to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Korea and Singapore.

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Korean businesses equipped with world-class technology and experience have so far participated in building landmarks in Singapore. I look forward to their continued contributions in infrastructure construction as well, which is now prioritized by Singapore, including transportation.

Among other things, the Prime Minister and I resolved to work together to prepare for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. If the advanced technological prowess and capital of both countries are combined and utilized properly, it will make it possible to achieve remarkable outcomes in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, big data, fintech, bio-medical services and in other high-tech sectors.

Third, we reached an agreement to advance jointly into the smart city sector in third countries. Our two countries aim to enhance inter-city connectivity in ASEAN by working together to construct smart cities. Singaporean companies are strong in smart city development and management software while Korean businesses excel in hardware such as information technology. If the strengths of our two countries are combined, we will be able to take the lead in the smart city sector in ASEAN and the rest of the world.

Fourth, we agreed to expand cooperation between small and mediumsized enterprises and startups. It is very significant for equitable economic development and the future advancement of national competitiveness. Both countries have also established new ministries that are in charge of affairs related to small and medium-sized enterprises. Full government support will be provided so that companies from our two countries can jointly develop projects and advance together into third countries.

Fifth, we decided to closely cooperate for peace and prosperity in the region.

Just one month ago, the historic North Korea-U.S. summit took place in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee and the people of Singapore offered great support in helping to open a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

We concurred on the need to strengthen coordination regarding regional peace and stability. The scope of our cooperation will be expanded to cover even non-traditional areas, including maritime security, cybersecurity and environmental protection.

Singapore is the Chair of ASEAN this year. It is striving to create a more dynamic ASEAN community under the banner of innovation and resilience.

ASEAN is very important for Korea as well. Today, Prime Minister Lee and I discussed concrete measures for cooperation, including Korea’s New Southern

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Policy. I would like to see Korea-ASEAN cooperation expand in dimensions completely different from the past.

Lastly, I invited Prime Minister Lee to visit Korea at his convenience. The Prime Minister’s visit will further solidify our friendship and develop the relationship of our two countries even more.

Again, I offer my heartfelt appreciation to Prime Minister Lee and the people of Singapore for their warm welcome.

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08.

‌ JULY 12, 2018

REMARKS AT THE KOREA-SINGAPORE BUSINESS FORUM

Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran, Vice Chairman of the Singapore Business Federation Pek Lian Guan, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association Kim Young-ju, distinguished business leaders of Korea and Singapore, I am glad to meet you all.

I am filled with special emotion to visit Singapore this time. That is partly because it is the first state visit by a Korean President in 15 years, but mainly because the impressions of the North Korea-United States summit held last month still linger. While all eyes were on the event, the Korean people and I watched with joyful hearts the reconciliation between the North and the United States.

Thanks to proactive support from Singapore, the historic summit could be successfully wrapped up. Notably, the people of Singapore commemorated the summit by creating various menu items such as the “peace burger” topped with American cheese and North Korean kimchi and “Kim Jong Un-Trump latte” with their faces drawn on the foam. The North Korea-U.S. summit is a great achievement accomplished together with Singapore. I am deeply grateful to the Government and the people of Singapore for their enthusiastic support for peace and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Distinguished business leaders of Korea and Singapore, Singapore is truly in prosperity and harmony. Its skyscrapers form unique skylines. What can be found in verdant urban parks are the forward-looking insights of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. A variety of ethnicities, cultures and religions from different countries harmonize with each other amid diversity on the streets.

The economic development achieved by Singapore in such a short span of time is truly astonishing: A US$60,000 per capita income, a high employment rate of 80 percent, a global logistics hub, the fourth largest international

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financial and crude oil markets and the cleanest and safest county in the world—these dazzling accomplishments are what Singapore has achieved as a small but strong nation with a territory the size of Seoul and a population of 5.6 million. Openness, inclusiveness, meritocracy, pragmatism, the strict rule of law and discipline have served as the foundation of Singapore’s advancement.

Approximately 30 percent of its population is made up of foreign nationals, its trade volume more than doubles its GDP and the number of tourists visiting the country is more than three times its population. The country ranks among the world’s best in national competitiveness and integrity. I express my respect to the great leaders and people of Singapore who helped make their country rich and powerful by exercising self-restraint and promoting openness and inclusiveness.

Distinguished business leaders, Once known as part of the Four Asian Dragons, Singapore and Korea have been growing together, sometimes cooperating with each other and at other times competing with each other. Tanjong Pagar Centre, the highest building in Singapore, and the world-class Changi Airport were built with sweat and

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passion provided by Korean construction companies. Marina Bay Sands, the hotel comprising three high-rises connected by a hull-shaped crown, has become the symbol of Singapore.

More than 800 Korean companies operating in Singapore have increased their investments in the logistics, manufacturing and service sectors and helped create job opportunities, thus contributing to the economy of Singapore.

Singapore has steadily increased its investments in Korea and is now our fourth largest inbound investor.

The exchanges between our two peoples have continuously increased; last year alone, about 850,000 people traveled back and forth between our two countries. Nowadays many young Koreans seeking overseas employment are turning their eyes toward Singapore, an Asian hub for many multinational corporations. Over the past three years, more than 1,500 young Koreans have found jobs in Singapore.

Distinguished business leaders, At the summit held this morning, Prime Minister Lee and I agreed to strive to further upgrade bilateral exchanges and cooperation to a new level in a forward-looking manner. During my visit to ASEAN last year, I unveiled the ASEAN-ROK Future Community Vision, through which I proposed promoting people-centered economic cooperation that will enable us to enjoy mutual prosperity and build a peaceful future community together. I hope Singapore, a leading country in ASEAN and its Chair this year, will play a significant role in our joint pursuit. Today, I would like to especially highlight three directions of future-oriented cooperation that will serve as the basis for the development of bilateral ties.

First, we should secure future growth engines in response to the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Our two countries have signed today a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Our two countries have pledged to cooperate, for instance, on joint research and development in smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics and other high-tech industries. If Singapore’s innovation capabilities and capital are combined with Korea's world-class information and communications technology, it will create an enormous synergy. For the advancement of high-tech industries, it is necessary to expand the participation of SMEs and boost innovative startups.

Singapore is now pushing ahead with the One-North Project, aimed at

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intensively nurturing major growth engines such as biotechnology, ICT and media industries by bringing them together. The country is also promoting startups by implementing a systematic policy based on the concept of the Living Lab. Likewise, Korea is redoubling its efforts to create an innovative ecosystem that fosters new industries by rendering support for launching innovative enterprises. The memorandum of understanding signed today on cooperation between the SMEs and startups of both countries will greatly help them to identify together opportunities for innovation in various fields.

Second, we should ensure that economic cooperation brings substantive benefits to people’s lives. When Prime Minister Lee announced the Smart Nation initiative four years ago, he underscored that he would make his country a place that gives everyone exciting opportunities where people lead lives with a sense of fulfillment. This ambition is very nice and grand. The people-centered economy that I pursue aims at improving the life of each and every individual. I believe the directions at which the two countries are aiming coincide. I agree with the value sought by the Smart Nation initiative, and I hope that we will be able to materialize that vision together.

The Smart City project that Korea is pursuing is an aggregate of advanced technologies such as information and communication technology, artificial intelligence and environmentally friendly energy. It is designed to add more convenience to the lives of the people. I hope that Korea’s efforts will be able to contribute to Singapore’s materialization of the Smart Nation initiative. In addition, Korea, as a future partner of ASEAN, will actively contribute to the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, a project led by Singapore. Building upon the MOU on environmental cooperation signed today, the making of a green country can be achieved together. Eco-friendly energy can be introduced stably at a low cost through cooperation on energy, and smart grid technology will make it possible to improve energy efficiency.

Third, the system of free and fair trade needs to be continued and expanded.

The foundation of the two countries’ economic growth is free trade and an open-door policy. Both Singapore and Korea, which are open and pursue free trade, need to combine our strengths to prevent the spread of protectionism.

Today, our two countries agreed to cooperate to ensure that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership can be concluded within this year.

What is most important in the RCEP negotiations is not the level of openness but the timing. If a deal is reached at the earliest possible date, it will be able to turn the tide of the current global trend where protectionism is spreading.

When the ongoing negotiations to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Korea and Singapore are finalized, the Agreement will

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help boost investments between the two nations. In that way, I hope that bilateral trade, currently at US$20 billion, and mutual investment will be further expanded.

Distinguished business leaders, Our two countries’ economic development closely watched by the world is the result of passion and sweat of business leaders like you. The year 2020 is the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic ties. You, the business leaders, have created the history of remarkable bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Our two countries have supported each other through mutual exchanges in all areas, including the economy, security and culture, and have become even better friends following the North Korea-U.S. summit held here.

If the complete denuclearization is achieved and peace is established on the Korean Peninsula, a new horizon in bilateral economic cooperation will emerge, creating many more opportunities.

As in the Singaporean saying, “you can’t clap with one hand only,” if we join hands, not only the Korean Peninsula but also ASEAN will be able to enjoy peace and prosperity.

Let us learn from each other and walk toward the future.

Majulah Singapura. Thank you very much.

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09.

‌ JULY 13, 2018

ADDRESS AT THE SINGAPORE LECTURE

Distinguished people of Singapore, ladies and gentlemen, The North Korea-United States summit illuminated the path toward peace.

More than anything else, I am grateful to the people and the Government of Singapore for supporting the successful hosting of that historic summit.

Singapore is the world leader in Asian studies, and through this, it is promoting the value of Asia to the world. I feel a sense of extraordinary friendship toward the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies that invited me to its Singapore Lecture.

I met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Manila, Philippines last year.

We promised to make a visit to each other’s country at the earliest possible date. I am very pleased that this much-anticipated meeting has finally taken place.

Distinguished people of Singapore, Singapore is synonymous with peace. We cannot talk about Singapore without mentioning peace. Singapore, which originated from a small fishing town, has become prosperous while striving for peace.

During the period of hostilities fueled by the Cold War and Konfrontasi, Singapore initiated the creation of ASEAN and led regional dialogue.

Upholding the value of an ASEAN-first policy, the country has greatly contributed to expanding ASEAN’s boundary through the ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the East Asia Summit.

ASEAN lies behind the reason Southeast Asia could maintain peace. It carved out a third way for regional cooperation and helped preserve the stability of the region. Among its members, Singapore was at the forefront of pursuing peace. Southeast Asia is known as the most culturally diverse region in the world. Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism and

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even Socialism coexist here harmoniously. As such, ASEAN has exemplified the possibility of diverse civilizations coexisting peacefully.

Now, the peace that Singapore and ASEAN have jointly accomplished is capturing the world’s attention. If the 21st century can be dubbed the Century of Peace and Coexistence, we might also call it the Century of ASEAN. I see Singapore at its center.

Korea craves peace more than anyone else. No country is more desperately in need of peace than Korea. It lost everything to war and has always been haunted by the threat of another war while enduring considerable pain. As the son of war refugees, I understand well how important peace is. My parents escaped empty-handed aboard an evacuation vessel, leaving behind their home and livelihood.

Singapore’s consistent endeavors for peace helped make this place the venue of the North Korea-U.S. summit. The success of that summit can be ascribed to the support of the Singaporean people who have worked hard to achieve peace. I pay respect to the peace efforts of ASEAN and Singapore, and I suggest that we all march together toward greater prosperity through peace.

People of Singapore and distinguished guests, To Korea, ASEAN is a partner for working together to create a community of peace. It is a trading partner and investment destination aiming to achieve economic growth together. We are now evolving into a family-like relationship beyond that of neighbors.

I have recognized the importance of ASEAN and have striven to usher in a new future alongside it. Immediately after I took office in May last year, I sent a special envoy to ASEAN, the first time in Korean history, to promote closer ties with ASEAN. In the following September, the ASEAN Culture House was established in Busan, my hometown. It was the first of its kind to open in one of ASEAN’s dialogue partners. In November of the same year, I visited Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines to declare the New Southern Policy.

In March this year, I made another visit to Vietnam, and President Tran Dai Quang and I reached an agreement to step up substantive cooperation to promote regional peace and mutual prosperity. Just before I came here, Indian Prime Minister Modi and I promised more in-depth coordination and forward-looking cooperation in multilateral consultative forums in the region.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975, Singapore and Korea have

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worked together for common goals - a free and open economy as well as regional peace and stability. Both our countries have overcome a myriad of challenges since gaining independence from colonial rule. Even though both lacked natural resources, we placed our faith in human resources and nurtured talent. Empowered by our people, we achieved astounding economic growth, dubbed “the Miracle on the Equator” here and “the Miracle on the Han River” back in Korea.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and I agreed to concrete measures to lift Singapore-Korea ties a notch higher. Exchanges to nurture talent will be expanded. There will be economic cooperation to give tangible benefits to the people. Korean businesses have already actively participated in constructing major landmarks in Singapore. Going forward, bilateral cooperation will intensify to jointly prepare for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and bring peace and prosperity to the region.

ASEAN and Korea are maintaining complementary, mutually beneficial relations. We are ideal partners for carving out a future marked by peace and shared prosperity. I am now actively pursuing the New Southern Policy, a

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strategic vision to upgrade our ties with ASEAN to the same level shared with the four nations whose interests have traditionally converged on the Korean Peninsula, namely the United States, China, Japan and Russia. The New Southern Policy aims at building a future partnership for people, prosperity and peace in cooperation with Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries.

More specifically, it seeks to foster an increasing amount of contact among the people in the region and further opportunities for coexistence and prosperity through substantive cooperation. In this way, we can contribute to the promotion of peace in the world, going beyond the Korean Peninsula and ASEAN. As the Chair of ASEAN this year, Singapore is playing a leading role in advancing peace and prosperity in the region and is also a key partner in Korea’s New Southern Policy. I look forward to deepening Korea-ASEAN ties through enhanced cooperation with the active help of Singapore.

Distinguished people of Singapore, Singapore is a counterweight in Asia as well as a melting pot of Eastern and Western civilizations. Though small, it is an open and embracing nation.

A Buddhist temple, Hindu temple, Christian church, Islamic mosque and Taoist temple can exist harmoniously on the same street, a street filled with employees from among 9,000 multinational businesses located here.

Singapore is unparalleled in terms of multiethnic and multicultural unity and harmony. Above all, I cannot help paying tribute to the fact that the country is ideologically unbiased and is not easily swayed; on the contrary, it helps create new ideologies. A meritocracy that prioritizes pragmatism, its integrity is unmatched in the world. In addition, the judicial system operates in the most impartial manner. These elements are likely the very sources of Singapore’s might that helped achieve unity and harmony. Korea has long been plagued by ideological confrontations. The division into South and North Korea allowed people to condone ideology-driven corruption, privileges and injustice, which ended up consuming much of the nation’s capabilities. Given this, we feel more envious of Singapore today. However, Korea is now striving to create a fair and just country. In the process, I see many lessons we can learn from Singapore.

I also believe that the ability of Singaporeans to boldly imagine and put creative thoughts into practice derives from their emphasis on ability, pragmatism, integrity and impartiality. Based on such strength, the country now handles more than one seventh of the world’s transshipments and operates the second busiest harbor in terms of container volume. The Smart Nation Project, Singapore’s next generation national vision, aims to get ahead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Self-driving taxis are but one example

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of this innovative project. Singapore is setting its sights on protecting the environment and improving the quality of life through its excellent public transportation system. This goal will help change the mindset of those who prefer to drive their own cars. Singapore is now showing the world new paths through innovative economic and social policies. Singapore’s endeavors to take up challenges convince me of the fact that the Asian era is now dawning.

I will rebuild Korea into a nation that can put bold thoughts into practice.

Korea has a unique opportunity which cannot be found in Singapore or anywhere else. That opportunity is inter-Korean economic cooperation.

The inter-Korean summits are the beginning. As of last year, the world still regarded such meetings as a mere dream. Building on complete denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea will draw up a new economic map. Both Koreas will press on toward an economic community. We will create a new Korean Peninsula where anyone can bring out their best in a fair manner and where prosperity flourishes on the basis of peace. If peace is achieved on the Korean Peninsula, it will help Asia, including Singapore and ASEAN, emerge as the most prosperous region in the world. It will become a source of hope brightening the future of humanity.

Distinguished citizens of Singapore, The leaders of the United States and North Korea and I have changed the course of history through the *Panmunjom Declaration between the two Koreas and the Joint Statement from the North Korea-U.S. summit. We have begun confident steps toward complete denuclearization and the settlement of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Donald Trump and I have shared a common understanding that we will address the North Korean nuclear issue on the strength of the solid ROK-U.S. alliance. In line with this common understanding, the United States and Korea have worked together in the whole process of a historic transition that includes the North’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, reciprocal visits by special envoys from both Koreas, inter-Korean summits and the North Korea-U.S. summit. The cooperation between our two countries will continue going forward.

I have also established a relationship marked by close communication and cooperation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the sake of * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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the common goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The normalization of inter-Korean relations will eventually normalize North Korea-U.S. relations and, then, North Korea-Japan relations. The normalization of North Korea-Japan relations will greatly contribute to establishing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. To this end, I will make every effort to cooperate with Japan. At the trilateral summit among Korea, Japan and China held in Japan in May, the leaders of Japan and China congratulated me on the success of the interKorean summit and expressed active support for the faithful implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration.

Last December, I had in-depth discussions on the issues regarding the Korean Peninsula with Chinese President Xi Jinping during my visit to Beijing. We confirmed a joint stance on close cooperation to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue and negotiation.

At the bilateral summit in Russia last month, I agreed with President Vladimir Putin to prepare for trilateral cooperation among the two Koreas and Russia.

We also concurred on the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation so that people on the Korean Peninsula and in Eurasia can enjoy peace and prosperity together.

I have met Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea twice so far. Chairman Kim showed strong determination to develop North Korea into a normal nation by breaking away from ideological confrontation. If Chairman Kim keeps the promise of denuclearization, he will be able to lead his country into prosperity. This path is never easy, but if the agreements at the summit are implemented with sincerity, the goal can be achieved. If North Korea gives more substance on the implementation of denuclearization, and if South Korea and the United States quickly take comprehensive corresponding measures, the whole process will accelerate.

Our Government will make efforts to ensure that peace is established as soon as possible and economic cooperation will start. Continuous efforts will be made together with the international community so that the Panmunjom Declaration and the Sentosa Agreement between North Korea and the United States will be recorded as the ones that ended the world’s last Cold War rivalry.

People of Singapore and distinguished guests from home and abroad, I am looking forward to Singapore and ASEAN retaining their constructive roles. ASEAN and Korea have had a common understanding so far to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue for regional peace and

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stability and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, ASEAN has arranged a venue for dialogue between North Korea and the international community through the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) since 2000. The ARF, the only multilateral forum in which the North participates, has become an important window of communication between North Korea and the international community. In addition, ASEAN has consistently encouraged the North to give up its nuclear and missile development programs and choose the path toward peace and prosperity. The path for Korea and ASEAN to take part in the journey together toward establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula is not too far. Like the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games in February, I hope that the Asian Games to be held in Indonesia next month will become a place for reconciliation that contributes to peace on the Korean Peninsula.

It is important to bring North Korea into the framework for promoting various forms of cooperation and exchanges, which has already been established between South Korea and ASEAN. In the event North Korea carries out measures for denuclearization with sincerity, I hope that the North will be invited to the various consultative bodies run by ASEAN and that bilateral exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN and the North will be strengthened. It is necessary to create opportunities for North Korea to fulfill its role as a responsible member of the international community. Before international sanctions were ramped up against North Korea over its nuclear development program, ASEAN and the North had formed mutually beneficial relationships for economic cooperation. In addition, ASEAN supported interKorean economic cooperation by allowing goods produced in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex to fall under the same tariff rates applied to South Korean goods covered by the Korea-ASEAN FTA. When international sanctions against the North are lifted following complete denuclearization by North Korea, the once-vibrant economic cooperation between North Korea and ASEAN will be revived again. This will contribute to the economic development of both North Korea and ASEAN. The benefits from establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula will not stop there but will also become a point of contact connecting the economies of ASEAN, the two Koreas and Eurasia and create new economic growth engines for countries of the region, including the ASEAN members.

Distinguished citizens of Singapore and distinguished guests from home and abroad, The unity and harmony achieved by Singapore are the ideologies of humanity

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in the 21st century. Now as the East and West, the southern and northern hemispheres, and the world meet, Singapore has become an example of a melting pot at these crossroads and is illuminating all of Asia.

I am confident that Singapore will be able to create another miracle, going beyond its achievements of the past 50 years. I believe Singapore will always stand by us in our efforts to achieve the goal of establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization while continuing to lead peace and prosperity in the ASEAN region.

Let us open the Asian era by establishing peace in Asia. Let us create hope for humanity through prosperity in Asia.

Thank you.

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10.

AUGUST 14, 2018

REMARKS AT LUNCHEON FOR INDEPENDENCE ACTIVISTS AND SURVIVING FAMILY MEMBERS

It’s a pleasure to be here with you. For the second straight year, I’m very happy to see that you elders, who are recognized as persons of distinguished service to independence, are in good health. We all hope that you remain by our side for many years to come.

Descendants of decorated independence fighters have also come here from across the nation. We also have here many of these heroes’ descendants who have lived in Kazakhstan, Brazil, Russia and other places outside Korea. Some of you have newly obtained Korean citizenship. I wholeheartedly welcome all of you. It is truly wonderful that you’ve come.

In the face of your patriotism, which transcends time and space, I am always in solemn awe. This is all the more poignant when such displays occur in a foreign land, far away from your ancestors’ home, and the passion carries across generations with the passage of time. On behalf of all the Korean people, I wish to express my respect and gratitude to every one of you who are either designated as having performed distinguished service to the independence movement or are a descendant of such a person.

Honored ladies and gentlemen, The independence movement represents the strength and spirit that made possible today’s Republic of Korea.

Those who died for their country in the independence movement were dedicated to establishing self-respect among the Korean people. They also were calling for the equality of all people. No differentiations were made in social status, social position or gender in the face of the great cause of independence for Koreans and love of country.

The signing of the Japan-Korea Treaty in 1904 prompted the circulation of an anti-Japanese petition nationwide. This campaign was initiated by Heo Wi (許

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蔿 1854-1908), acting presiding judge of the High Court. In modern terms,

his position is equivalent to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Subsequently, Heo Wi became the commander of the combined righteous armies of the 13 provinces. He was eventually incarcerated in Seodaemun Prison and became the first anti-Japanese activist to die for his country. Kigai Sophia, great granddaughter of Heo Wi who had been living in Uzbekistan, is here with us today.

The current Administration has uncovered the names of 202 women independence fighters. Twenty-six of these women have been selected to receive honors and decorations. These include Choe Bok-gil, Kim Gyeongsin, Kim Hwa-ja, Ok Sun-yeong, and Lee Gwan-ok, who have been chosen for a posthumous bestowal of the Order of Merit for National Foundation. They contributed greatly to the independence of our country by organizing women’s local village associations under the Korean National Association in Suncheon, Pyongannam-do Province (present-day North Korea). They have been chosen to be among the major prize recipients this coming Liberation Day. Presidential citations will be given to six students of what was formerly Paiwha Girls’ High School for shouting “Dongnip Manse!” (Long live independence!) in unison on the hill behind the dormitory and on the school grounds to mark the first anniversary of the March First Independence Movement.

Lee Seon-ho of Choong Ang High School was a leader in the June 10 Manse Movement of 1926. The official statement from his Gyeongseong District Court trial that November was “I planned the demonstration with the resolve that if we scream ‘liberty,’ it will be realized.” The students’ anti-Japanese struggle began again in Gwangju three years later and spread to Mokpo, Naju, Seoul and ultimately nationwide. It helped to rekindle the popular movement against Japan.

Also with us here today are two descendants of the great independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun. One hundred eight years ago, Ahn Jung-geun, who faced execution, had a last meeting with his priest Father Wilhelm. In this meeting, Ahn said that Korea’s independence movement was an undertaking that involved all people who longed to break away from oppression and recover their freedom.

Ahn wrote his essay entitled “On Peace in East Asia” while being held in a Chinese prison in Lüshun (part of Dalian). He stressed the role that Japan must play in achieving East Asian peace. Ahn also offered a vision for a future in which Korea, China and Japan would combine armed forces and issue joint

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banknotes. Ahn Jung-geun’s great spirit and life’s work for freedom and peace can still be felt today. The late Chiba Toshichi (千葉十七 1885-1934), a prison guard, kept a portrait of Ahn Jung-geun that remains on display in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Certain Japanese scholars have also studied Ahn’s essay. An Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall and bronze statue are also in Harbin, China.

However, we have never been able to locate Ahn’s remains. The tomb that Kim Gu prepared for him in Seoul’s Hyochang Park is still empty. We have been unable to grant Ahn’s last request to reinter his body in his home country after Liberation.

Next year, we will celebrate the centennial of the March First Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Republic of Korea Government. We will work to locate the remains of Ahn Jung-geun through a joint project with North Korea.

Honored guests, I believe that taking care of patriots and veterans is the foundation for making

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a strong nation. Proper treatment of those who have sacrificed themselves for their country is the right thing for a nation to do. I believe it is also an excellent investment in the future. This is because the quality of life enjoyed by the families of persons of distinguished service to independence today is an indicator of the patriotism to be shown by future generations.

Increasing financial support to these families is the beginning of caring properly for patriots. As I have pledged, the amount of the special privileges fund that patriots receive has been raised by 50 percent from this year. More than 17,000 people are currently receiving financial assistance to ensure that the families of those who participated in the independence movement can live securely three generations down.

Proper care of the descendants of those who sacrificed for independence has also begun with providing benefits. We began from this year a service that entails personal visits to the homes of the children and grandchildren of these distinguished heroes. Housing is being provided to the descendants of all the decorated independence fighters who lived overseas and have now returned to live in Korea permanently.

We will also take care of your physical and mental health. This month, the new Incheon Veterans Hospital and Veterans Medical Research Institute are scheduled to open. Proper benefits for patriots are made complete by exhaustively uncovering and then remembering and repaying all the sacrifices that were made for the country.

As mentioned earlier, for this Liberation day. we have newly uncovered 202 women designated as persons of distinguished service to independence after close examination of the standards for awarding these heroes. This is good news, although belated. Going forward, we will proactively seek out women as well as students and righteous army fighters who qualify as independence heroes so that they can be widely remembered by future generations and can receive the proper recognition.

Distinguished guests, Today is also the Japanese Military Comfort Women Victims Memorial Day. After this luncheon, I will go to pay my respects.

Such brutal pain and agony must never be repeated. I pledge to work to set the historical record straight with truth and justice and to soundly guard the nation through peace.

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We got our nation back through the independence movement, and we uphold the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea from the Provisional Government.

The proud history of our homeland was written by you, the people here today.

With the proper benefits for patriots, we will bring together the hearts and minds of the people, and we will create a stronger Republic of Korea for the present and future.

I hope you all stay healthy until I see you again.

Thank you.

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11.

‌ AUGUST 14, 2018

REMARKS ON JAPANESE MILITARY COMFORT WOMEN VICTIMS MEMORIAL DAY

Fellow Koreans, Japanese military comfort women victims and their relatives, other relevant officials, The Japanese Military Comfort Women Victims Memorial Day has been designated as a national commemorative day, and the first official national ceremony is being held today to mark the occasion.

Twenty-seven years ago today, Kim Hak-sun, a comfort woman victim, went public with her tragic story for the first time among the survivors. During the following nearly three decades, noble and courageous acts by elderly victims have continued. Their courage has made this meaningful day possible.

First of all, I bow my head low in tribute to the souls of victims who are laid to rest here at the National Cemetery for Overseas Koreans. They prevailed over their unspeakably painful time and long years of unceasing hardships even after liberation. With a resolve to fulfill the historic duties entrusted to us, I pray for the rest and repose of their souls.

Fellow citizens, Their lost years are a period that we must never forget. The Republic of Korea is greatly indebted to and has learned a lot from them.

The comfort women issue has long been covered up and denied even after the country was liberated. Not being able to share their ordeals even with their family members, the elderly victims had to carry on with their lives, bottling up their pain. This situation arose because their own country chose to avert its eyes rather than warmly embrace them.

It was not the country but the victims themselves that helped the truth come to the surface. Breaking the wall of silence, they began to give testimonies as to what they had suffered and made appeals on the streets, in lecture halls,

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in courtrooms, in Korea, in Japan and in many other countries. Our society’s interest in the issue has soared greatly, and the scope of our solidarity has broadened significantly, thereby encouraging many other victims in other countries. On top of this, such progress has been of great help for increasing the international community's interest in and facilitating pertinent discussions about women’s rights and sexual violence during wartime.

The issue of comfort women is not simply a historical matter between Korea and Japan but rather a matter of sexual violence against women during wartime as well as the universal human rights of women. Almost every year, resolutions are adopted and recommendations are issued to call for the resolution of the comfort women issue by all human rights-related organizations under the United Nations and many countries across the globe.

Now, our elderly victims are lending a helping hand to victims of sexual violence in wartime through the “Butterfly Fund,” going beyond their demand to restore their honor. They say, “We understand how much pain they are experiencing as we went through the suffering ourselves.” It resonates so broadly. The victims have sublimated their pain and suffering and are putting

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their philosophy of human rights and peace into practice even at this moment.

Fellow citizens, Tomorrow marks the 73rd anniversary of the liberation of our country.

However, genuine liberation has yet to come for our senior victims. This weighs heavily on my mind. Only when their dignity and honor are restored and their wounded hearts healed can the issue of the comfort women be resolved.

The Government will continue to communicate with comfort women victims with the utmost sincerity. In line with the international community’s human rights standards that stipulate a victim-centered approach, we will respect the elderly victims as the principal agents in the settlement of the issue. We will pursue wholeheartedly a commemorative project for the restoration of their honor and dignity. The framework for the truth has been revealed thanks to victim’s testimonies and efforts by civil society organizations and academia, but there is still a long way to go. We will make systematic and active efforts to uncover, preserve and disseminate related records as well as educate and assist with research. Now we have to move beyond the pain of the past and put the value of global women’s rights and peace into practice. It is our duty to rectify the history that overlooked the truth and establish justice.

I hope that this issue will not lead to a diplomatic dispute between Korea and Japan. Nor do I see this as an issue that can be solved through diplomatic solutions between the two countries. It is an issue that can be solved only when the world, including ourselves and Japan, deeply reflects on sexual violence against all women and human rights problems and comes to a strong awareness and learns a lesson in a way that prevents this from ever being repeated. This is the intent behind designating the Japanese Military Comfort Women Victims Memorial Day as a national commemorative day and holding the first official ceremony today.

I hope that by holding the ceremony, the people will be able to deeply empathize with the pain and voices of the victims. I hope that the surviving victims will stay healthy and with us for a long time.

Thank you very much.

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12.

AUGUST 15, 2018

ADDRESS ON KOREA’S 73rd LIBERATION DAY

Fellow Koreans, decorated independence activists and their relatives, overseas Korean compatriots, Today marks the 73rd Liberation Day and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Korea Government. It is a truly significant and joyous day.

Thanks to the sacrifices and devotion of our forefathers who fought for independence, we are able to celebrate here today. I pay tribute from the bottom of my heart. My respect also goes to those who served the cause of independence with distinction and their bereaved families. Starting with volunteer righteous armies opposing imperialist Japan in the late Joseon period, our independence movement turned into fierce struggles to restore popular sovereignty following the March First Independence Movement in 1919. With the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea at the center, unyielding campaigns aimed at building our nation with our own hands were waged.

The history of pro-Japanese collaborators was never a part of our mainstream history. The struggles of the Korean people for independence were more relentless than those in any country around the world. National liberation was not given simply from the outside. It was the result of the victories of forebears who fought together, risking their lives. It was the liberation achieved by all the people who pooled their strength equally. For this reason, on the day when Korea was liberated, all Koreans came together cheering passionately for Korea’s independence. We deserve to have a great sense of pride in the fact.

Fellow Koreans, To celebrate Liberation Day today, we are gathered here in Yongsan, in the heart of Seoul, which has been returned to the arms of the people after 114 years and finally become an integral part of our territory.

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During the Japanese colonial period, Yongsan was a Japanese military base and at the center of the exploitation and subjugation of Joseon. Immediately after liberation, the history of the ROK-U.S. alliance began in Yongsan.

Since the end of the Korean War, Yongsan has served as the foundation for maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula. The relocation of the U.S. Forces Korea headquarters to Pyeongtaek in June this year enabled the ROK-U.S. alliance to usher in a new era to become as strong as ever.

Now this part of Yongsan will be turned into an ecological park akin to Central Park in New York. It will become possible to earnestly implement the 2005 plan to create a national park. My heart leaps with pleasure imagining a vastsprawling ecological park serving as lungs in the center of Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. It is all the more meaningful to hold this ceremony celebrating Liberation Day today here in Yongsan, a place steeped in our painful history and symbolic of our determination for peace and a prosperous future.

Fellow citizens, Just as Yongsan had long been taken away from us, what awaits us are the legacies of the Korean independence movement that have yet to be identified and claimed. In particular, the role of women in the independence movement has been kept even more deeply in the dark. Even though women were severely discriminated against due to patriarchy as well as social and economic inequalities, they committed themselves to the independence movement with an indomitable resolve. Female worker Kang Ju-ryong at the Pyeongwon Rubber Factory in Pyeongyang staged a protest on the roof of the 12 meterhigh Eulmildae Pavilion in opposition against unilateral wage reduction by imperialist Japan in 1931. She cried out for the liberation of women and the liberation of labor. At that time, the wages of male workers in Joseon were not even close to half of what Japanese workers got paid, and Joseon female workers earned less than even half of their male counterparts. Her do-or-die resistance resulted in her death two months after her release from prison. She was posthumously awarded in 2007 the Patriotic Medal under the Order of Merit for National Foundation.

In 1932, Gujwa-eup on Jeju Island was the epicenter of female divers’ antiJapanese resistance sparked by five divers: Ko Cha-dong, Kim Gye-seok, Kim Ok-nyeon, Bu Deok-nayng and Bu Chun-hwa. The anti-Japanese movement spread among 800 female divers, and approximately 17,000 women joined 238 rallies in total during the three months. Now a monument to the Jeju female divers’ anti-Japanese movement stands in Gujwa-eup.

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Over the past year since last year’s Liberation Day, the Government has identified 202 female independence fighters and had their names proudly registered in the history of liberation. Among them, 26 patriots have been chosen for the conferment of honors and decorations today. The remainder will continue to be honored. Any endeavor made for liberation will certainly be given due credit and legitimate esteem. The Government will identify more accounts of the independence movement without any discrimination on the basis of one’s gender or role. I believe that the complete identification of the independence movement’s unknown history and independence activists will be the consummation of yet another liberation.

My fellow Koreans, The Republic of Korea was built by people of different backgrounds contributing what they could. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Government of the Republic of Korea, and our country has now become a proud nation in the world. Among nations that achieved independence from colonial rule following World War II, Korea is the only country to succeed in achieving both economic growth and democratic

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progress. One of the dozen or so largest economic powerhouses and the country that astonished the world by resuscitating democracy through a candlelight revolution—this is what Korea is today. It is a remarkable feat achieved after having overcome numerous hardships, including national division, a horrendous war, intense confrontations between the South and North, absolute poverty and military dictatorship.

Though there is still much room for improvement, no one could deny the fact that few countries have achieved such dynamic development as ours. It was made possible thanks to not only our forefathers but also all the generations living in this age. We Koreans have a tendency to underestimate our status and capabilities. As anyone can realize when traveling abroad, however, Korea is now a successful country, one that many countries envy and look to emulate.

In this regard, I hope that we all have a sense of pride. On the strength of such pride, we have to make progress in the coming 70 years.

Fellow Koreans, Taking responsibility for our fate ourselves, we are now moving forward toward peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula. This is a way to overcome division. Even after the war, division caused the horror of war to take root in our everyday lives. It took away the lives of countless young people, incurring enormous economic costs and loss of capabilities. The development of northern sections of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do provinces was restricted, and the residents on the five islands closest to North Korea in the Yellow Sea couldn't fish in abundant waters just off shore.

The division made the Republic of Korea an island disconnected from the continent. It even engendered a division in our thinking. Many taboos blocked freedom of thought. The division became a pretext for the military dictators who touted national security. It also served as justification for intensifying ideological conflicts that split the people as well as politics marked by tendencies to stigmatize someone based on ideology or resort to the ingrained regional divide. It also became a sort of hotbed of corruption and unjust privilege.

We must overcome division for our survival and prosperity. Even though political unification is still far away, building a single economic community first by settling peace and freely travelling back and forth between the two Koreas will become genuine liberation for us. Now I am walking to the road with the people, and I entirely thanks to their support. Many people in the 17 cities in 11 countries that I visited after taking office expressed profound

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respect for the people of Korea, who revived democracy and justice through candlelight rallies and now strive to build a properly functioning country. This has provided me with great momentum to gain international suuport.

I first met with U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed to develop the ROK-U.S. alliance into an “even greater Alliance.” We also agreed to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful manner.

The leaders of the G20, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have expressed their full support for my Administration’s efforts. I came to an agreement with leaders of ASEAN countries to work together to create a peace-loving community where all people prosper together.

President Xi Jinping of China and I agreed to further develop the strategic partnership between the two countries. As of now, China is playing a significant role in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Russian President Putin and I agreed to join forces to prepare for trilateral cooperation among the South, the North and Russia. Japanese Prime Minister Abe and I reached an agreement to closely cooperate to develop Korea-Japan relations in a forward-looking manner and to promote peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. This cooperation will eventually lead to the normalization of North Korea-Japan relations.

On the strength of such international support, the *Panmunjom Declaration was adopted by the joint efforts of the two Koreas.

South and North Korea agreed to completely cease all hostile acts against each other in every domain, including land, air and sea. Now, the two Koreas have restored regular communication channels between military authorities and are in contact on a daily basis.

The Yellow Sea, dubbed the sea of conflict, has now turned into a sea of peace where military threats have disappeared and common prosperity is being pursued. Demilitarizing the Joint Security Area in Panmunjeom and the withdrawal of guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone on a trial basis were agreed upon in principle. The South-North joint excavation of the remains of those killed during the War will also be carried out.

Reunions of families separated by the Korean War have also resumed. A South-North Korea joint liaison office, which is expected to develop into a * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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permanent mission for both sides, will be established for the first time going forward. This is very meaningful. In a few days, an era in which the two Koreas communicate with each other around the clock will commence.

The North Korea-United States summit was also achieved with the determination of those two nations to walk the path of peace and prosperity together. Peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is a promise shared between their two leaders and the world. I hope that the implementation of the complete denuclearization of North Korea and corresponding comprehensive measures by the United States will be pursued quickly.

Fellow citizens, At the high-level inter-Korean meeting held two days ago, it was agreed that the fall inter-Korean summit, as promised in the Panmunjeom meeting, will go forward.

I will be visiting Pyeongyang next month bearing the wish of the people. We two leaders will confirm the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration and take an audacious step to proceed toward the declaration of an end to the Korean War and the signing of a peace treaty as well as the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

When the deep-rooted distrust between the two Koreas and between the North and the United States is lifted, the mutual agreement can be implemented with sincerity. I will help build a relationship based on deeper trust between the two Koreas and simultaneously lead efforts to promote dialogue on denuclearization between North Korea and the United States.

I believe in the importance of recognition that we are the protagonists in Korean Peninsula-related issues. Developments in inter-Korean relations are not the by-effects of progress in the relationship between the North and the United States. Rather, advancement in inter-Korean relations is the driving force behind denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This is borne out by history: when inter-Korean relations were good in the past, North Korea’s nuclear threat was eased and a denuclearization agreement was reached.

When peace is established on the Korean Peninsula along with complete denuclearization, economic cooperation can be carried out in earnest. When the dreams of a peace-based economy and economic community are realized, our economy can take a new leap forward. The day when all Korean people are prosperous together will also be advanced.

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According to research by a state-run organization, the economic impact from inter-Korean economic cooperation is estimated to reach 170 trillion won at a minimum over the next 30 years. This outcome stems from the combined effects of reconnected inter-Korean railroads and certain natural resource development projects in addition to the resumption of the operation of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and Geumgangsan tours. When the two Koreas undertake full economic cooperation, the result will be incomparably greater.

We have already experienced Geumgangsan tourism generating 8,900 jobs and enabling rapid economic growth in Goseong-gun County, Gangwon-do The Gaeseong Industrial Complex was a rich repository of jobs, employing over 100,000 people. Exceptional development like the sea change in the Paju region was achieved when the two Koreas were at peace. “Peace is the economy”; peace and the economy are synonymous.

When military tension is eased and peace established, special unification economic zones will be built in the border areas of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do It will be an opportunity for those regions and small and medium-sized enterprises to make huge progress in addition to the numerous jobs created.

It is a goal to hold groundbreaking ceremonies within this year for the reconnection of railroads and roads as agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration.

The reconnection of railroads and roads is the beginning of mutual prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

The European Coal and Steel Community was created in 1951 by six European countries with the goal of preventing wars, establishing peace and rebuilding the economy. The ECSC later gave birth to the European Union.

At Yongsan, once the starting point of railroads between Seoul and Sinuiju and between Seoul and Wonsan, I propose the creation of the East Asian Railroad Community today, encompassing six Northeast Asian countries and the United States. The Community will expand the horizon of the Korean economy to the northern part of the continent and become the main artery of mutual prosperity in Northeast Asia. It will then lead to the creation of East Asian energy and economic communities. Moreover, it will initiate a Northeast Asian multilateral peace and security system.

Fellow citizens, decorated independence fighters and their bereaved families, overseas Koreans, Our people have done their best at every moment as they achieved liberation

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from colonial rule, overcame the Korean War and accomplished democratization and economic development. The people have accomplished miracles, and the Republic of Korea is becoming a more equitable and just nation.

Patriotic martyrs who fought for liberation and the people encouraged each other and prevailed over hardships in the hope that liberation would certainly come. Though difficult processes such as the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and economic revitalization await us, there is nothing to fear if we join hands together as we always have.

Peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula depends on what we do forthwith. I believe in the power of optimism. The courage and determination that helped achieve liberation earlier will bring us true liberation characterized by peace and prosperity going beyond the division.

Thank you very much.

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13.

SEPTEMBER 06, 2018

OPENING REMARKS AT INCLUSIVE-NATION STRATEGY MEETING

I am pleased to see you all here today. Thank you for joining us. This meeting is very meaningful as we will be informing the public of the vision and strategy that cuts across the Government’s social policies as well as discussing specific measures for the creation of an inclusive nation. This meeting was systematically organized by the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning and relevant government ministries.

My Administration has implemented various social policies over the course of the past year aimed at enabling people to live better lives. Some of those policies, such as Moon Jae-in Care, the state system for dementia care, improvement of housing welfare, and the expansion of national and public childcare facilities, have already been put into action. Starting this month, basic pension and disability pension benefits will be increased, and new benefits for rearing children will be provided. With these initiatives, we have taken our first steps toward creating an inclusive nation which is able to guarantee that all citizens may coexist and live with human dignity.

This, however, is only the beginning. Income inequality and polarization have persisted, and the unfair social structure which forces so many of our citizens to make sacrifices remains intact. We must now reflect, with painstaking efforts, upon the reality of the Republic of Korea and introspectively consider the negative aspects of our society, including the low birth rate, elderly poverty rate, and the suicide rate, all of which are among the most severe in the OECD. In the impending super-aged society, a smaller producing population will need to support a much larger population. If the paradigm of social policies is not changed, the future will be even more difficult than the present. Such hardship, in its entirety, will impose a great burden on future generations.

To create a sustainable society, the Government must now take responsibility for the lives of our people throughout all stages of life. This is the beginning of an inclusive nation. The inclusive nation means a country for all.

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First, a life free of fear must be guaranteed to all people. The social safety net and welfare system must be strengthened in order to alleviate worries about childbirth and rearing, education, health, housing, and life after retirement.

Second, fair opportunities and just results must be ensured. Inequality must not be passed down as if it were a social status. Instead, our society must make social mobility possible and support those who have failed to get back on their feet and provide hope that tomorrow will be better than today.

Third, living together harmoniously without discrimination must be guaranteed. Balanced development of the country must be facilitated, society must respect labor, gender equality must be achieved, and the human rights and welfare of disabled people must be protected.

The inclusive nation is a vision for the future of the Republic of Korea.

Ensuring that these first steps are properly taken is the mandate of the times entrusted to my Administration.

The people are paying great attention to today’s meeting, as it serves as a public introduction to our vision of an inclusive nation. Many international organizations, such as the World Bank, the IMF, the OECD and the World Economic Forum, as well as many countries around the world, have begun to use the terms “inclusiveness.” They advocate for “inclusive growth,” by which the benefits of growth are evenly distributed to all rather than being monopolized by the few. This encompasses income growth for the lower- and middle-income groups, welfare, and a fair economy.

The inclusiveness that has been sought by my Administration embraces the same concept. Beginning with social policies, inclusiveness must be pursued as a universal value in all fields, including the economy, education, and labor.

From an inclusive society, inclusive growth, and inclusive prosperity, to inclusive democracy, “inclusiveness without exclusion” must be the value and philosophy toward which our society is oriented.

The present policy environment, however, is challenging. The conditions and situations facing us – in terms of population, industry, employment structure, and level of social solidarity – are incomparably different from those which challenged Western countries as they developed into welfare states.

Thus, we must make realistic goals and clear mid- to long-term plans that include the means for financing. Only then will we be able to garner the trust of the people and show them the path toward an inclusive nation.

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The roles to be played by the National Assembly and the central and local governments, whose members are gathered here today, are more important than ever. “Inclusiveness” will be an important core value of my Administration and I ask that every public official – down to those who work on the front lines – recognize and empathize with the need for inclusiveness and that we all strive to win the support and understanding of the people.

I urge all government ministries and agencies to make practical and concrete action plans based on today’s presentations and discussions. Detailed mid- to long-term roadmaps that include even the means for financing should be put in place at the earliest possible date.

I hope that today’s meeting will serve as a spirited beginning for our grand journey toward an inclusive nation.

Thank you.

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14.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

REMARKS AT A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING THE KOREA-INDONESIA SUMMIT

I wholeheartedly welcome President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo on a state visit to Korea. I congratulate President Joko Widodo on demonstrating the potential of Indonesia and raising the pride of Asians by successfully hosting the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games. I am very gratified that the Jakarta Light Rail Transit and the 5G Experience Center constructed by Korean businesses were of help. I met with President Jokowi again today after ten months. We affirmed deepening friendship and trust marked by the celebration of the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations. We highly rated the great headway made in agreements contained in the joint vision declared at the November summit last year. We reached an agreement to further expand its breadth and depth.

First, our two countries will arrange more vibrant senior-level exchanges and policy consultations, including by the heads of state. Bilateral exchanges have continued in many sectors, including national defense, since the last summit.

We will take extra care and expedite the implementation of agreements, including what was agreed upon today, so that the people of our two countries will be able to feel the benefits.

Second, we will identify and actively carry out cooperative projects with a view to promoting mutual prosperity and creating future growth and prosperity.

Bilateral trade has been increasing this year again as it did last year. In the first half of this year alone, the trade volume reached US$9.8 billion. Our two countries reaffirmed the agreement to expand trade to US$30 billion by 2022 and agreed to redouble our efforts to realize that goal.

Our two countries agreed to work together to help enhance Korean businesses' participation and cooperation in sectors Indonesia has placed a priority on, including steel, petrochemical goods and automobiles. Korea agreed to work together with Indonesia to help improve its infrastructure by building a light rail transit system and developing areas surrounding subway stations as well as continue to cooperate in the development of eco-friendly energy, including by

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constructing a hydroelectric power plant. Our two countries will also enhance digital startup cooperation, utilizing information and communications technology such as the 5G mobile communications. The two nations will continue to jointly respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution with small and medium-sized enterprises in both countries playing a leading role in the process.

Third, our two countries will join forces to promote people-to-people exchanges and improve the quality of life in both countries. I look forward to seeing young people in both nations, who are full of passion and unyielding spirit, become closer. MOUs were also concluded in public personnel administration, legislative exchanges and e-government. A transparent and efficient government organization will serve as the basis for national development and help further improve the lives of the people.

Fourth, our two countries will closely cooperate for the sake of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia. I extend my heartfelt appreciation once again to President Jokowi for making active efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, including by inviting the heads of state of

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both Koreas to Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. I request continued support of Indonesia, which will be a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

Our two countries have a strategic partnership in national security. We are jointly producing next-generation fighter jets and submarines. Cooperation in national defense and the defense industry will be further solidified going forward. Both of our countries have a vision of becoming a maritime power.

Cooperation will be upgraded in maritime and environmental affairs, such as in joint responses to international maritime crimes as well as in the cleaning of marine litter and energy development.

While actively supporting Korea’s New Southern Policy, President Jokowi promised to cooperate with us so that ASEAN and Korea can become part of a people-centered peace community where everyone thrives. There is an Indonesian proverb, “Walk until you reach Beijing, sail until you reach a castle.” This means you have to finish what you have started. Indonesia is the first destination of my state visits as well as the destination of Korea’s investment in forestry, manufacturing, petroleum development and the defense industry. President Jokowi is the first foreign head of state to attend a welcoming ceremony in an ancient Korean palace. I hope that Korea and Indonesia, our good friend in many ways, will be able to stay together until the end and bring peace and prosperity to East Asia together.

I again express my gratitude to President Jokowi and the First Lady who are on a state visit to Korea and the accompanying officials.

Terima kasih (Thank you).

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15.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

CONGRATULATORY REMARKS AT 70th ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY FOR JUDICIAL BRANCH OF REPUBLIC OF KOREA

It is a pleasure to meet you all. Today, we have gathered to commemorate the 70th anniversary of our recovery of judicial sovereignty as well as to reflect on the independence of the Judicial Branch and the principle of the rule of law.

Our forebears, when they regained judicial sovereignty seven decades ago, were deeply moved by the simple fact that trials in Korea would be conducted in the Korean language by Korean judges and prosecutors. At long last, Korean courts could make fair judgments according to the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Korea and the consciences of our judges.

The law is the last refuge for honest, law-abiding citizens facing unjustness and unfairness. Courts of law are where they go to appeal for justice.

Judicial rulings determine the fates of both individuals and entire communities. The vast majority of the more than 3,000 judges in our country dedicate themselves wholly to the task of ensuring fair and just decisions. To draft their rulings, they stay up late, reading the record again and again lest some detail be overlooked. The hard work of judges and court officials, who have labored this way to fulfill the weighty responsibilities of judgment, has become a force to help maintain public trust.

Today, this weighty sense of mission is felt all the more as we mark the 70th anniversary of the Judicial Branch. Let me convey my encouragement and gratitude to Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su and all the justices and staff who have prepared this event with a sense of duty graver than at any time prior.

Ladies and gentlemen, The Judicial Branch is an essential means for the citizens of this country to

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realize their popular sovereignty. The Judicial Branch as well as individual judges are granted independence to ensure the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers. This independence is the last bastion for preventing dictatorship and abuse of state power and protecting the rights and interests of citizens.

There were times under authoritarian governments when the independence of the Judicial Branch and judges was undermined by circumstances stemming from the Yusin Constitution and the government’s emergency measures.

However, neither the judges’ desire for the independence of judicial authority nor the people’s yearning for democracy has ever abated. In 1971, the Supreme Court, in the interest of protecting human dignity and equal rights, declared that restricting the right to file claims for government restitution was unconstitutional. This ruling went down in history as a landmark decision that upheld the value of the Constitution. The June Democratic Struggle in 1987 gave rise to a new Constitution, providing the impetus for the reform of the Judicial Branch as well. In February 1988, over 430 younger judges declared court independence and judicial democracy, standing up to forces opposed to change and reform. In 1993, more than 40 judges presiding over single-judge civil cases in the Seoul Central District Court urged members of the Judicial Branch to engage in self-reflection and demanded genuine independence for the courts.

The courts, through retrials and other measures, have rectified wrongfully made past rulings. Crimes committed by national institutions during the time of rule by military dictatorships and authoritarian governments continue to be adjudicated. The democracy of the Republic of Korea advances along with these efforts.

Ladies and gentlemen, Our citizens today yearn for a properly functioning nation, and we are creating a nation of justice. The light of 17 million candles rekindled the constitutional spirit, and popular sovereignty is protected by the Constitution so restored. All public officials in not just the Executive but also the Legislative and Judicial branches, myself included, stand upon the foundation of the rule of law that the people reestablished.

I am acutely aware of how weighty it is to uphold the spirit of the Candlelight Revolution. The Judicial and Legislative branches, I believe, feel a comparable weight upon them. We must live up to the yearnings and expectations of the people without fail.

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The Judicial Branch is now tasked with the grave undertaking of having to regain public trust. Suspicions about “abuse of judiciary power” and “dealmaking for verdicts” during the previous administration are still shaking public trust in the judiciary to the core. This crisis is unprecedented for the judiciary.

This is also a devastating and painful ordeal for the members of the Judicial Branch. However, the people’s insistence that sound judicial independence be upheld is also an opportunity for reform given by them to the judiciary.

Suspicions must be thoroughly investigated without fail, and if wrongdoing is found, the Judicial Branch must take its own corrective action.

I believe that the Judicial Branch has the capability to respond to the people’s wishes. The courage exhibited inside the courts in the past preserved the independence of the Judicial Branch. Likewise, the Judicial Branch will overcome the present crisis on its own. Further down the road, this will bring about great reform – the democratization of the Judicial Branch. I am convinced the Supreme Court will reform the judicial system through its judicial advancement committee in accordance with the people’s wishes. I

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hope that the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Judicial Reform will erect a buttress to support this cause in line with the people’s desire to see unwavering judicial reform.

Ladies and gentlemen, More than anything else, our people will find hope in the Judicial Branch through the judges’ sincere efforts to reform. Individual judges’ sincerity in reaching fair judgments and the urgent need to win back the trust of the people will serve as an opportunity for the courts to be reborn. The courts will once again be the last bastion for protecting the people’s human rights.

I, too, will guarantee the complete independence of the Judicial Branch and judges, so that the sacred oaths taken by individual judges can be followed freely in any court and for any case.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the restoration of our judicial sovereignty, and I look forward to the beginning of a new chapter in the history of our judicial reform. I believe that the Judicial Branch, renewed on the basis of the people’s trust, will be the most reliable safeguard for protecting the freedom and rights of the people.

I wish the judiciary lasting progress.

Thank you.

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16.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

STATEMENT AT A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING THE 2018 INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT IN PYEONGYANG

Fellow Koreans in the North, the South and abroad, A Korean Peninsula free of war has begun to take shape. The South and North agreed today to eliminate all risks that could lead to war from all parts of the Korean Peninsula. A joint inter-Korean military committee will be formed to enable constant consultations on implementing military-related agreements.

Even though the sounds of artillery fire of the Korean War were silenced by the 1953 Armistice Agreement, war has continued to haunt our lives for the past 65 years. Young lives have been lost needlessly, and invisible walls have arisen between neighbors. By turning the Korean Peninsula into a permanent peace zone, we will now be able to restore normalcy in our lives.

Our society can be reshaped into a nation that exists solely for the people as we depart from the privilege, corruption and disregard for human rights that have been spawned by the threat of war and ideological confrontation. What I have to tell you today floods my heart with emotion. For the first time, South and North Korea have agreed on measures for denuclearization. This is an extremely meaningful accomplishment.

The North has agreed to permanently shut down an engine test site and missile launch pad in Dongchang-ri, in the presence of experts from the countries concerned. Contingent upon corresponding measures by the United States, the North will also carry out further measures such as the permanent dismantlement of the Yeongbyeon nuclear facility.

These are delightful and thankful actions for all Koreans. Complete denuclearization is not far away. Going forward, North and South Korea will closely consult and cooperate with the United States and the international community to achieve denuclearization once and for all. Our role now has become critical. The trust and support of the people are more desperately needed than ever.

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Fellow Koreans in the North and South, Following the announcement of the *Panmunjom Declaration, a grand change is taking place on and around the Korean Peninsula, which can be seen as a historic development. For the first time in history, the two leaders of North Korea and the United States sat together for talks and announced an agreement.

North Korea pledged to completely halt further nuclear and missile tests and has kept that promise. South Korea and the United States suspended large-scale joint military drills. In Gaeseong, a joint liaison office has been established. A new era has dawned, enabling the two Koreas to discuss issues at any time. Though it really seems like a dream, it is definitely taking place before our eyes.

The Korean people’s yearning for peace and prosperity has never ceased even for an instant. Though the progress seems rapid, it has not been rapid at all.

These developments are finally unfolding before us as a result of longstanding desires and preparations. The shared sentiments of 80 million Koreans have opened a way for peace.

We will have to sincerely follow this path we have paved and take substantive steps by finalizing complete denuclearization. Today in Pyeongyang, Chairman Kim and I agreed to further enhance exchanges and cooperation between the South and North and to develop concrete plans for a balanced economic growth of the Korean people.

The South and North will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the reconnection of railroads and roads on the eastern and western coastal regions within this year. If favorable conditions materialize, the operation of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and tourism at Geumgangsan Mountain will be normalized.

Environmental cooperation on the Korean Peninsula and healthcare and medical services coordination aimed at preventing the influx and spread of infectious diseases will be able to start immediately. Priority will be placed on restoring the Geumgangsan reunion center and enabling letter exchanges and video-conference reunions.

We agreed to cooperate on a bid to jointly host the 2032 Summer Olympics.

We also decided to make concrete preparations for joint events to mark the * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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100th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement.

In October, a Pyeongyang art troupe will come to Seoul. The “Coming of Autumn” performance will bring South and North Korea even closer. I invited Chairman Kim Jong Un to visit Seoul, and Chairman Kim agreed to come before long.

Here, “before long” has an implication that it would be within this year barring extraordinary circumstances. Chairman Kim’s visit to Seoul would be the first by a North Korean supreme leader, and it is expected to become a monumental milestone in inter-Korean relations.

Fellow Koreans in the North, the South and abroad, Today, Chairman Kim has clearly shown the way to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and we have agreed on the vision of freeing the Peninsula from nuclear weapons, nuclear threat and war. We have lived up to the expectations of all Koreans and the world.

I profoundly respect the determination and actions by Chairman Kim. Inter-

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Korean relations will continue without interruption. Now, I look forward to North Korea and the United States resuming their dialogue soon, based on the achievements of this Pyeongyang summit.

North Korea and the United States have repeatedly reaffirmed mutual trust by exchanging personal letters between their two leaders. We promise that we will also do our best to help the two sides hold another summit as soon as possible and find a middle ground to reach an agreement.

This past spring, the seeds of peace and prosperity were sown on the Korean Peninsula. And today, this autumn in Pyeongyang, the fruits of peace and prosperity are maturing.

Thank you.

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17.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

ADDRESS AT MAY DAY STADIUM IN PYEONGYANG

Citizens of Pyeongyang our brethren in the North, I am delighted to meet you all here in Pyeongyang.

As President of the South, I cannot express in words how overwhelming it is to be given this opportunity by Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un to greet you. Citizens of Pyeongyang, we are now forging a new era together in this way.

Chairman Kim Jong Un and I met at Panmunjeom on April 27 and shared a heartfelt embrace. We two leaders solemnly declared to 80 million Koreans and to the entire world that there would be no more war on the Korean

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Peninsula and that a new era of peace had opened.

We also confirmed the principle of autonomy for our people, whereby we ourselves determine our own fate. By developing inter-Korean relations in an all-embracing and groundbreaking manner, we firmly pledged to reconnect Korea’s arteries and to hasten a future of common prosperity and reunification on our own terms. Moreover, it was agreed that President Moon Jae-in would visit Pyeongyang this fall as I am doing now.

Citizens of Pyeongyang and fellow Koreans, Today, Chairman Kim Jong Un and I have agreed on concrete measures to completely eliminate the fear of war and the risk of armed conflicts on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition, we affirmed our pledge to turn our beautiful territory from Baekdusan Mountain to Hallasan Mountain into a land of permanent peace, free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threats, and to bequeath it to our future generations. And, before it is too late, we agreed to take immediate measures to fundamentally ease the suffering of separated families.

I would like to give my unreserved applause to your leader Chairman Kim Jong Un, who has determined to join me on this bold journey and is resolutely taking steps toward a new future for the Korean people.

Citizens of Pyeongyang, my fellow Koreans, During my stay in Pyeongyang, I have witnessed the city’s remarkable progress. Deep in my heart, I have recognized what kind of country Chairman Kim and his compatriots in the North want to build. I have keenly realized your wholehearted longing for reconciliation and peace for all Koreans. I have seen the indomitable courage in your determination to stand on your own feet even in the face of hard times, all the while maintaining the pride of the Korean people.

Citizens of Pyeongyang, fellow Koreans, Our people are outstanding. Our people are resilient. Our people love peace.

And our people must live together. We had lived together for five thousand years but apart for just 70 years. Here, at this place today, I propose we move forward toward the big picture of peace in which the past 70-year-long hostility can be eradicated and we can become one again.

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Chairman Kim Jong Un and I will firmly clasp the hands of 80 million Koreans in both the North and South and move forward to create a homeland anew. Let us all march together on our journey into a new future.

Once again, I thank the many citizens, young people, students and children of Pyeongyang for giving us such a warm welcome with the mass performances today. You were magnificent.

Thank you.

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18.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

REPORT TO THE NATION ON THE 2018 INTERKOREAN SUMMIT IN PYEONGYANG

Fellow Koreans, Thanks to your support, I just got back from Pyeongyang on a positive note.

As you witnessed, we reached a fine agreement at the inter-Korean summit and received the most gracious hospitality.

More than anything else, I want to stress how significant it was that Chairman Kim Jong Un and I had several meetings over the past three days and could have long, candid conversations. I would like judge the visit as a great contribution to the remarkably advancing inter-Korean relations and trustbuilding between we two leaders.

Despite a short preparatory period, the North welcomed our delegation whole heartedly. As we traveled back and forth in Pyeongyang, we were enthusiastically welcomed and seen off by the local citizenry at the airport and along the streets. I cannot but express my extraordinary gratitude to them. I am also grateful to local residents who warmly greeted and gave a send-off to me at Samjiyon Airport on the way to and from Baekdusan.

I was given an opportunity to address 150,000 Pyeongyang citizens at a mass gymnastics performance held at May Day Stadium, the first ever by a President of the Republic of Korea. They gave resounding rounds of applause to my speech, stating that the Korean Peninsula must be turned into a land of peace, free of nuclear weapons and nuclear threats for good.

My fellow Koreans, Over the past three days, Chairman Kim Jong Un and I had multiple conversations about denuclearization as well as U.S.-North Korea dialogue. On the first day of our talks, we spent most of the time discussing denuclearization.

Chairman Kim Jong Un time and again confirmed his unwavering commitment to denuclearization. He expressed the hope of finishing complete denuclearization

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as soon as possible, and then focusing on economic development.

However, as the four provisions of U.S.-North Korea Joint Statement must be implemented simultaneously, and if the United States takes corresponding measures in accordance with the spirit of the agreement, he expressed his willingness to continue to take additional denuclearization measures, including the permanent demolition of the Yeongbyeon nuclear facilities.

To clarify his intention once more, he pledged to permanently dismantle the Dongchangri missile engine test site and missile launch pad under the observation of experts from the countries concerned.

The terms “observation” and “permanent” dismantlement that the North used in the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 have the same meaning as a verifiable and irreversible dismantlement ultimately.

For the acceleration of the denuclearization process, Chairman Kim expressed the hope that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would visit the North and that the second North Korea-U.S. summit with President Donald Trump

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would be held as early as possible.

In this way, the North has engaged in earnest talks with the South concerning concrete measures for denuclearization, a complete departure from the past. The North had up to this time expressed its intention for complete denuclearization, but as for specific measures, it maintained the position that those negotiations had to be conducted with the United States, thereby refusing to discuss them with the South. With North Korea-U.S. talks faltering and North Korea coming to share the perception that progress in its talks with the United States is closely related to the development of inter-Korean relations, the North requested mediation from the South in its talks with the United States. It has also proposed that the two Koreas work closely together to realize complete denuclearization.

I hope the United States will resume its dialogue with North Korea as early as possible while trying to understand the North’s commitment and position from its point of view. I believe the Inter-Korean Summit in Pyeongyang has created the conditions for the resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks.

Regarding South-North relations, military agreements are the most important results of the summit. If these agreements are implemented properly, the South and North can move toward discussions about reducing the military forces and weapons that threaten each side, including the long-range artillery targeting our capital area.

This development would go beyond ending the Korean War that has remained unfinished since the signing of the armistice agreement, eradicating any possibility of war between the two Koreas in the future. Though not contained in the Declaration, some points have been verbally agreed upon. The South and North agreed to hold an inter-Korean parliamentary meeting soon. We agreed to step up exchanges between the local governments of the South and North. I asked Chairman Kim Jong Un to revoke the North’s confiscation measure regarding the Geumgansan reunion center so that its full operation can resume. The Chairman agreed to this.

This year marks the 1,100th anniversary of the Goryeo Dynasty. To celebrate the occasion, I suggested to Chairman Kim Jong Un that cultural artifacts from the North be displayed together at the “Goryeo: Glory of Korea” exhibition to be held in December, and Chairman Kim agreed to work together on the matter.

Fellow Koreans,

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A South-North joint liaison office was opened in Gaeseong on September 14 right before I departed for Pyeongyang. A new era in which we have regular inter-Korean dialogues and cooperation has begun. Chairman Kim’s visit to Seoul would not only mean the regularization of inter-Korean summits but also the opening of an era when people travel back and forth regularly between the two Koreas. The date of Chairman Kim’s visit was specified as “before long” to provide ample time to prepare, but it was agreed that the visit should take place within this year, if possible.

I hope that the people of South Korea will have an opportunity to see Chairman Kim in person and listen to his thoughts about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as well as peace and prosperity narrated in his own voice.

Today, I visited Baekdusan before returning to Seoul. I made a pledge to myself while at Cheonji Lake atop the mountain. I will do my best to ensure at the earliest date possible that South Koreans can travel to this mountain via North Korea instead of China.

From now on, my Administration will put in place an inter-ministerial framework to swiftly implement the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration. We will hold high-level talks with North Korea as soon as possible and make our utmost efforts to ensure that today’s achievements actually enhance the lives of the people.

Once again, I ask for supra-partisan cooperation by the National Assembly.

The Pyeongyang Summit has ended successfully, all thanks to the strength, support and encouragement of the people.

Peace is the long-waited desire of everyone who lives on the Korean Peninsula.

I will always be in step with the will of the people on the path toward achieving this goal.

Thank you.

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19.

‌ SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

ADDRESS AT A JOINT CONFERENCE CO-HOSTED BY THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, THE KOREA SOCIETY AND ASIA SOCIETY

Honorable President Richard Haass, Chairman Thomas Hubbard, President Josette Sheeran and other distinguished guests, I am delighted to meet you all.

I am grateful to these three leading organizations in international relations for co-hosting and inviting me to this event.

These three institutions serve as a link between the United States, Asia and Korea. In particular, I am always thankful to them for their profound interest in and affection for the issues related to the Korean Peninsula. It is very meaningful for me to be able to share the outlook on the rapidly changing developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula with the most prominent experts on Asia and Korea and converse with them about peace and prosperity on the Peninsula.

Around this time last year when I attended the United Nations General Assembly for the first time, tensions over the Korean Peninsula reached their peak. North Korea went ahead and carried out its sixth nuclear test, and the U.N. Security Council adopted its toughest-ever sanctions resolution. Dark clouds of war cast a shadow over the Korean Peninsula.

Under such circumstances, I appealed to North Korea and the international community to resolve problems through dialogue. I urged the North to give up its nuclear program and embark on the path toward peace. I asked for the international community’s support and engagement to ensure that the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games would become the Olympics of peace.

However, many people did not believe that it would become reality. To many, it may have sounded like an unrealistic dream. One year on, something miraculous is taking place on the Korean Peninsula.

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The prelude to peace was the PyeongChang Winter Olympics held in February this year. North Korea sent its delegation and athletes to PyeongChang. On April 27, I had my first summit meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un in Panmunjeom. We adopted the *Panmunjom Declaration that aims to achieve complete denuclearization and establish a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

In June, the historic U.S.-North Korea Summit took place, for the first time in the history of their 70-year-long hostile relations. This great decision was born from a combination of mutual trust and respect between the leaders of the United States and North Korea. North Korea demonstrated its sincerity by dismantling its nuclear test site, returning the remains of U.S. soldiers and choosing not to display intermediate or long-range missiles during the military parade that marked its Foundation Day on September 9.

Last week, I was in Pyeongyang I had my third inter-Korean summit with Chairman Kim Jong Un and signed the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration together * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.�

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with Chairman Kim. Chairman Kim personally pledged in public that he would make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace free from nuclear weapons and threats. He also expressed the hope of completing denuclearization as soon as possible and instead focus on economic development.

North Korea has refrained from nuclear and missile provocations since last November. Under the watchful eyes of the international community, it also dismantled a nuclear test site in Punggye-ri. Last week, in order to speed up the denuclearization process, North Korea made a clear commitment to first permanently dismantle the missile engine test site and launch platform in Dongchang-ri under the observation of experts from the relevant countries.

Moreover, in accordance with the spirit of the U.S.-North Summit, North Korea expressed its willingness to take additional denuclearization measures, including the permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities in Yeongbyeon, as the United States takes corresponding measures. This means that North Korea will pursue a verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. To expedite the denuclearization process, Chairman Kim is hoping for a visit to North Korea by the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the second U.S.-North Korea Summit to be held at the earliest possible date.

Distinguished guests, Actions are being taken to ease tensions and promote exchanges and cooperation between the two Koreas as well. Two weeks ago, the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office was opened in Gaeseong, North Korea. We now have an official channel that allows year-round, 24-hour communication between the two Koreas.

In August, reunions of separated families were held. Unified teams made up of South and North Korean athletes competed in a number of events in the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games, as they had also done at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and won a gold medal in one of the competitions for the first time ever at the Asian Games.

The most important accomplishment is the agreement in the military domain included annexed to the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration. The two Koreas agreed to a mutual cessation of hostilities on the entire Korean Peninsula. This is akin to a declaration to end the Korean War as it substantially eliminates the danger of war. Efforts will be made to demilitarize the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone and the Joint Security Area and transform them into a symbol of peace. These are important strides towards the realization of a Korean Peninsula free from war.

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The declaration to end the Korean War that the two Koreas are pursuing is a step that must be taken if we are to move toward a peace regime. It is also necessary for expediting North Korea’s denuclearization measures. The concerns in some quarters that the end-of-war declaration may affect the status of the United Nations Command or the United States Forces in Korea are simply not true. This declaration is a political statement made on the journey toward a peace treaty and, therefore, the existing armistice will remain in place until such a peace treaty is signed. As for the stationing of the USFK, this is simply a matter for the ROK-U.S. alliance to decide regardless of a declaration to end the Korean War or the signing of a peace treaty. Chairman Kim also agrees with this concept of an end-of-war declaration.

These developments will allow the two Koreas as well as neighboring countries to be freed from the fear of war that gripped them just a year ago. None of this would have been possible without the bold decision made by President Trump and the consistent support of the international community, including China, Japan and Russia.

Yesterday, President Trump and I had candid discussions on all of these matters. We shared the view that a swift implementation of the Sentosa Agreement, Panmunjom Declaration and the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration is of paramount importance. President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un trust each other. The denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea that had been stalled will resume in earnest.

South Korea and the United States have responded positively to the actions taken by North Korea. Our two countries stopped large-scale joint military exercises involving the deployment of strategic assets. I expect there will be significant progress in denuclearization if the leaders of North Korea and the United States sit down together again.

Distinguished guests, Cornerstone for peace on the Korean Peninsula is the ROK-U.S. alliance.

Forged in blood, the ROK-U.S. alliance has become stronger and broader over the past 70 years. Had it not been for the alliance, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for the Republic of Korea to simultaneously achieve both democratization and economic development in just half a century.

Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, where the recently relocated headquarters of the USFK reside, symbolizes the steadfastness of the ROK-U.S. alliance. It is five times the size of Central Park in New York, making it the largest of the

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U.S. overseas military bases, boasting unmatched facilities. As a joint base for the army, the navy and the air force, as well as an operational hub, it has unrivaled operational capabilities. President Trump himself gave it a thumbs up during our joint visit there last year. Initially forged as a military alliance, the ROK-U.S. alliance has continued to expand, moving beyond an economic alliance toward a global partnership.

KORUS FTA has enabled a dramatic expansion in exchanges and economic cooperation between our two countries. As an agreement between the world’s largest and the eleventh largest economy, the FTA is the culmination of a robust alliance and is serving as a catalyst for global free trade. Korea was able to foster greater partnership with the United States, which has the world’s largest pool of capital and technological prowess, while the United States obtained a bridgehead in East Asia. Yesterday, the two countries signed an amendment to the KORUS FTA. With the amendment, I expect the people of our two countries will be able to enjoy gains from mutually beneficial trade.

The United States and Korea will also work together on various issues facing the international community, such as terrorism, violent extremism, environment, health, famine, and refugee crises. President Trump told me that Korea and the United States are ‘not mere allies, but great allies’.

Freedom and democracy will last forever. Our alliance forged in blood shed in wartime will end the war without fail and lead us to peace and prosperity.

Our alliance is already great. However, I believe that our alliance will become even greater through the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Distinguished guests, Peace on the Korean Peninsula will not only contribute to regional security but also bring shared prosperity to the Peninsula and Northeast Asia. When peace is established on the Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization, South and North Korea will pursue economic cooperation in earnest. An inter-Korean economic community will lead to economic cooperation in Northeast Asia.

When an appropriate environment is created, Gaeseong Industrial Complex and Mt. Geumgang Tourism Project can be resumed. There are also plans to develop a West Coast joint special economic zone and an East Coast joint special tourism zone. This will give new growth opportunities for American and Korean companies.

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In my National Liberation Day speech on August 15, I proposed the creation of an East Asian Railroad Community, which encompasses six Northeast Asian countries and the United States. At the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia last year, we also proposed a gigantic Northeast Asian super grid initiative to connect Russia’s Energy Super Ring initiative with the wind power and solar photovoltaic power from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

The East Asian Railroad Community will go beyond the energy and economic communities and become the foundation upon which a multilateral peace and security system will be developed. Peace will guide the economy, and in return, economic prosperity will further promote and protect the peace.

The participation of the United States in these endeavors will accelerate the development of the Northeast Asian region and become a great driving force behind the stabilization of the region. I would like to take this opportunity to urge the active participation of the United States.

Distinguished guests and esteemed experts in international relations, The people in South and North Korea are no strangers to each other. We had lived together for five thousand years, and we share the same bloodline, history, language and culture. We are like siblings separated temporarily. We suffered through war and ideological conflict, but we have never forgotten that we are one. We aspire for a peaceful Korean Peninsula free from the threat of war.

The fervent desire of the 80 million Koreans and support from the international community are creating the miracle of peace on the Korean Peninsula today.

Together with President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un, I will take bold steps toward a new future with a vision of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

I have ascertained the sincere determination and unwavering trust of President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un on numerous occasions. I am confident that we will accomplish this feat together, without fail. I ask for your generous support and encouragement on the way toward peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and a new future.

Thank you.

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20.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

ADDRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA AT THE 73rd SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General and distinguished delegates, I would like to express my deepest condolences on the passing of Kofi Annan, the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations. The world will forever remember his name that has been etched in the road to peace.

I would like to congratulate Ms. Maria Espinosa, on assuming the Presidency of the General Assembly. I hope the United Nations will be able to reach out to every corner of the globe through the 73rd Session of the General Assembly.

I also hope that the United Nations will make further progress in contributing to the international community under Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s excellent leadership.

As I had done last year, I stand here once again with a sense of urgency and excitement. Over the past year, something miraculous has taken place on the Korean Peninsula. For the first time in history, the leader of North Korea crossed the Military Demarcation Line to visit Panmunjeom. A historic summit between the United States and North Korea was also held on the Sentosa Island in Singapore.

Chairman Kim Jong Un and I removed the shadow of war and resolved to usher in an era of peace and prosperity. At the U.S.-North Korea summit, the two sides agreed to work towards achieving complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, ending hostile relations and establishing a permanent peace regime. President Trump and Chairman Kim moved and gave hope to those who desire peace all around the world.

North Korea dismantled its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri under the observation of the international community. The United States and the Republic of Korea suspended large-scale joint military exercises and built trust. I would like to thank and salute President Trump and Chairman Kim’s

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courage and resolve as they usher in a new era on the Korean Peninsula as well as in U.S.-North Korea relations.

Last week in Pyeongyang, I met Chairman Kim for the third time and reached an agreement once again to turn the Korean Peninsula into a land of peace free from nuclear weapons and threats. Chairman Kim expressed his hope of completing denuclearization as soon as possible to focus on economic development. Moreover, Chairman Kim expressed his commitment to permanently dismantle the missile engine test site and launch platform in Dongchang-ri under observation of the international community as a first step, in order to expedite progress in denuclearization. Furthermore, he expressed his firm willingness to continue to take additional denuclearization measures including the permanent dismantlement of nuclear facilities in Yeongbyeon as the United States takes corresponding measures in the spirit of the Sentosa Agreement.

The Korean Peninsula has remained under the armistice over the past 65 years. Ending the Korean War is an urgent task. It is a process that we must go through in order to move towards a peace regime. I look forward to seeing bold measures for denuclearization implemented among the related countries,

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leading to the declaration to end the War. Regardless of the challenges that lie ahead, the leaders of the South, the North and the United States will move step by step towards peace based on mutual trust.

Such a dramatic change has been possible thanks to the support and encouragement of the people around the world who desire peace. In particular, the United Nations gave North Korea the courage to embark on the road to peace. I would like to express my gratitude to the United Nations for its role.

This is, however, just the beginning. I would like to ask for continued support and cooperation from the member states on our journey towards complete denuclearization and permanent peace. The Republic of Korea will spare no effort to encourage North Korea’s participation in the international community while adhering to the resolutions adopted by the United Nations.

Madam President, Last winter, a prelude to peace on the Korean Peninsula unfolded in PyeongChang in Gangwon-do Province. It was the moment when the Olympic Truce resolution adopted at the UN General Assembly in November 2017 came to precious fruition. Secretary-General Guterres and many heads of state extended their congratulations on the participation of North Korean athletes and officials in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. They expressed their wishes for unity and peace on the Korean Peninsula. The world was awakened to the sense of new history of peace being written. I would like to thank Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, for paving the way for North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics.

Just over a month after the close of the PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games, Chairman Kim and I met for the first time in Panmunjeom. The United Nations welcomed and actively supported the adoption of the *Panmunjom Declaration. By doing so, it provided tremendous strength to the meetings that have followed, including the second inter-Korean summit, the U.S.-North Korea Summit and the recent inter-Korean summit in Pyeongyang.

At the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, I expressed the hope that North Korea will choose peace on its own accord in order to establish sound and sustainable peace. This hope was shared by the United Nations and all * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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of the international community. North Korea responded positively to our hopes and calls. Chairman Kim changed the direction of the political situation on the Korean Peninsula through his New Year’s address on the first day of this year. The participation of North Korea’s athletes and delegation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics provided a decisive momentum to break the impasse in building peace.

On April 20, North Korea officially ended its policy of nuclear development and has since devoted all of its efforts towards economic development. On September 9, in the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of its foundation, North Korea expressed its commitment to peace and prosperity instead of boasting its nuclear capabilities. North Korea moved out of longstanding isolation on its own initiative and stands before the international community once again. Now, it is the international community’s turn to respond positively to North Korea’s new choice and efforts. We must assure Chairman Kim that he has made the right decision in committing to denuclearization. We must encourage North Korea to stay on the path that leads to permanent and solid peace.

The role of the United Nations is crucial. The UN Secretariat has continued its efforts for dialogue and engagement, including the invitation of North Korean officials to international conferences. The United Nations has stated its commitment to “leave no one behind.” My sincere hope is that the UN’s vision of sustainable development will be realized on the Korean Peninsula. I have no doubt that if the international community paves the way, North Korea will not stall on making strides towards peace and prosperity. The Republic of Korea will spare no effort to guide North Korea towards that path. I would like to call on the United Nations to share its experience and wisdom.

Madam President, The process of working towards denuclearization and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula is a process that also leads to building peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. Northeast Asia is home to one-fifth of the world’s population, and it accounts for a quarter of the global economy.

However, regional conflicts stand in the way of pursuing broader cooperation.

We will begin the work of resolving conflicts in Northeast Asia starting from the Korean Peninsula.

On August 15, I proposed the creation of an East Asian Railroad Community, which would involve six Northeast Asian countries and the United States.

The European Coal and Steel Community, which gave birth to the creation of

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the European Union, is a living example of what this kind of initiative could achieve. I believe that the East Asian Railroad Community will be able to serve as a starting point for the creation of an energy and economic community in East Asia, and going a step further, lead to a multilateral peace and security architecture in Northeast Asia.

The two Koreas are working to reconnect railroads and roads that had been disconnected. Going forward, the Republic of Korea will be engaging in close consultations with countries in the region on concrete steps towards the East Asian Railroad Community. As we work to realize the UN spirit of multilateralism and pave the way for a future of shared prosperity, I would like to ask for the support and cooperation of the international community.

Madam President, The Republic of Korea, together with the United Nations, has weathered the storms of modern history. The United Nations and the Republic of Korea share common values and philosophies. This month, the Government of the Republic of Korea announced its vision of an “inclusive nation” based on a people-centered governing philosophy. We are moving towards a fair and just nation as well as a society in which no one is discriminated against and everyone lives in harmony. “Inclusiveness” is also a philosophy embedded in international development cooperation. The Government of the Republic of Korea will steadily expand its contribution to development cooperation to create a global community that leaves no one behind.

The Republic of Korea is also increasing its assistance to people who are suffering from human rights violations and discrimination, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including children, youths, women and those with disabilities. We increased our financial aid for refugees five times in the past five years. Starting from this year, Korea is providing 50,000 tons of rice every year to developing countries that are suffering from severe food crises.

I believe that there needs to be a holistic approach encompassing peace, development and human rights to fundamentally resolve humanitarian crises.

The Government of the Republic of Korea will engage in discussions and provide support to “make the United Nations relevant to all people.”

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Anyone who has confronted the abuse of power to advance human rights carries in his or her heart the first clause of the Declaration, “All human beings are born free and equal.” In particular, I am working to realize gender equality in a tangible way as an important part of

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our administrative agendas. All forms of discrimination and violence against women are being dealt with even more sternly.

Korea has a first hand experience of “comfort women”, who were victims of suffering inflicted by the Japanese military. We will actively participate in discussions among the international community over women, peace and security. We will also work together with the international community on the efforts to eradicate sexual violence in conflict.

Responding to climate change and transitioning to a low-carbon economy are challenges and tasks facing our generation. The Government of the Republic of Korea will raise its share of renewable energy in the nation’s total power generation to 20 percent by 2030. We will faithfully implement the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in compliance with the Paris Agreement and assist developing countries’ pursuit of sustainable development by supporting them with climate change responses.

Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General and distinguished delegates, For the two Koreas, the significance of the United Nations goes beyond any international organization. At the 46th UN General Assembly on September 17, 1991, all of its 159 member states unanimously adopted the resolution for joint accession by South and North Korea to the United Nations. That date was coincidentally ‘World Peace Day’.

The representatives of South and North Korea pledged in their respective speeches that although South and North Korea started as separate members, they would eventually become one someday through reconciliation, cooperation and peace. Now, after 27 years have passed, South and North Korea are realizing the pledge made on that day. We have crossed the barriers of division and are tearing down the walls in our heart. We are proving to the international community that when we come together, we have sufficient means to establish peace.

Ladies and gentlemen, We all desire peace. Peace represents the relatives and neighbors we love, and the hometowns we long for. Peace means sharing what we have together.

A peace we have all achieved together is a peace for all. I’m confident that all of you will always be with us on the path to permanent peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula as well as on the journey to a peaceful world. Thank you.

ADDRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA AT THE 73rd SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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21.

OCTOBER 01, 2018

ADDRESS ON THE 70th ARMED FORCES DAY

Fellow Koreans and members of the Armed Forces, Over the past 70 years, our Armed Forces have safeguarded our territory and sovereignty with impenetrable readiness. Expressing gratitude to officers and all men and women in uniform for their dedication to service, I join all fellow Koreans in celebrating the 70th anniversary of Armed Forces Day. We are now standing on the Peace Plaza of the War Memorial of Korea.

Inscribed on this Plaza is the phrase “IF YOU WANT PEACE, REMEMBER WAR.” We still remember the horror of war. For this reason, we need peace all the more desperately. Had it not been for the sacrifice and dedication of our Armed Forces, we would not have been able to take a single step forward toward peace.

Only because of the guardian spirits of those who gave their lives to defend the country is the Republic of Korea today possible. The retired military service members, military elders and United Nations Korean War veterans joining us here are the protagonists who helped usher in an era of peace while remembering war. I pay my profound respects to them. Even at this moment, our men and women in uniform are fulfilling their assigned duties at home and in overseas deployments. I am truly proud of them and feel reassured. I compliment them in the name of the Korean people, and I am also grateful to their families.

My fellow Koreans, Today, I am overwhelmed with excitement as I am able to discuss an era of peace by ending the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula. Announcing the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration on September 19, Chairman Kim Jong Un and I made clear that war would not come between the South and North and peace would be settled on the Korean Peninsula. Before 150,000 Pyeongyang citizens, I promised a peaceful Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons and threats.

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In spite of this, peace will not come all at once. We must not forget the fact that peace is sustainable when our strength serves as its foundation. Now is the time for our military to stand at the forefront of peace on the Korean Peninsula. Peace through strength is the mission of our Armed Forces, and a genuine protagonist in an era of peace is none other than a strong military.

In just half a century, the Republic of Korea has built capabilities to manufacture fighter jets and tanks and is now armed with a 3,000-ton strategic submarine. Remarkable progress has been made in the national defense capabilities. Now, the Korean military is being reborn as Armed Forces that truly serve the people through intensive defense reform.

I have confidence in the potential of our Armed Forces. They will protect the lives and safety of the public from any kind of threat as well as build capabilities to operate and control military missions on land and sea and in the air on their own initiative. As reliable Armed Forces, they will accomplish peace without fail.

Officers and men and women in uniform,

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Armed Forces that stand by the people are the strongest, and the key to a strong military is each and every member of the Armed Forces. When our men and women in uniform are respected without any discrimination and feel proud of the nation and the military in a genuine sense, they will be equipped with courage and devotion. Now our military shall become Armed Forces that cherish the sons and daughters of our people. Our Armed Forces shall be unmatched not only in combat strength but in terms of democracy.

Service conditions for members of the Armed Forces will be improved by making the military fairer and facilitating communication within. To prevent military service from disrupting social and career development, customized support will be provided to help secure employment commensurate with the duration of their military service. Recruitment of discharged service personnel as police officers, coast guard officers and firefighters will be expanded.

Medical support for the Armed Forces will be drastically improved. The number of childcare centers providing communal parenting and daycare centers will be increased in the military to guarantee a better childrearing environment. Special attention will be given to ease gender discrimination in the armed services. If service personnel can cultivate their capabilities during military service, and make contributions as citizens of a democratic society after completing their service, our military’s patriotism will be further exalted.

Fellow Koreans, members of the Armed Forces, We can prevail only when we join together. The military and the people have to join together, and the commanding officers and service members should join together. The army, the navy and the air force must join together with each other and with those of allied nations.

We can prevail only when we advance into the future. Admiral Yi Sun-sin triumphed in battles thanks to a new weapon, the Turtle Ship, and a new strategy, “the crane-wing formation” or hakikjin in Korean. Our national defense should be fused to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and leap forward toward smart national defense and a digitalized powerful military.

Now we are moving toward the era of peace. The path to become an honorable serviceperson will open up a new chapter in the history of the Korean Peninsula. Our military has successfully carried out the mission of protecting the homeland, and it will unwaveringly safeguard the people as well. I have unlimited trust in our military personnel and will always stand with you.

Thank you.

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22.

OCTOBER 05, 2018

REMARKS ON THE 12th WORLD KOREAN DAY

Fellow overseas Koreans, I am glad to meet you all. I am pleased to congratulate you on the 12th World Korean Day this year.

Today’s event is all the more meaningful because it is being held alongside the World Korean Community Leaders Convention. I send my deepest gratitude and respects to the leaders and members of Korean communities abroad for helping greatly raise our sense of pride as Koreans across the globe.

I believe you have visited your homeland this year with an extraordinary feeling. We are now moving toward a peaceful Korean Peninsula, rising above the era of division and confrontation. I would like to say that the overseas Koreans’ affectionate efforts have helped make it possible for us to take that path.

I remember our meeting one year ago. At that time, tension surrounding the Korean Peninsula reached its peak. Ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, there were many worries about whether it would become an Olympics of peace. All the Korean citizens and overseas Koreans, however, came together with an ardent wish to turn the PyeongChang Olympics into an opportunity to change the destiny of the Peninsula and establish peace once and for all. What happened thereafter was like a dream. The wind of peace blew from all over the world. Our overseas Koreans were at its center.

Koreans in athletic fields residing in the Philippines, Brazil, Hong Kong and New Zealand took the lead in organizing promotional events for the PyeongChang Olympics. Every time I met with members of Korean communities during my trips abroad, their leaders turned the meetings into events sponsoring a peace Olympics. Those in Indonesia and Austria formed delegations to visit their homeland and gave life to the PyeongChang Olympics. A great amount of donations for the success of the Olympics were also collected. A CBS morning news show in the United States introduced PyeongChang as well as Seoraksan Mountain, Jeongseon’s traditional five-day market and the Daegwallyeong sheep ranch on six different occasions. This

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achievement was attributable to the passion of a Korean-American broadcast professional.

Every step of the way was made possible by our overseas Koreans’ voluntary participation. You have vividly shown the world how desperately all Koreans aspire to peace. It was the united enthusiasm of the Korean people and overseas Koreans that opened a door to peace on the Korean Peninsula.

On behalf of the people, I gratefully applaud you for ushering in the peace Olympics and an era of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

My proud Koreans from abroad, The history of the Republic of Korea cannot be discussed without mentioning the contributions of overseas Koreans. During the Japanese colonial rule, Koreans in China, the Russian Maritime Province, the Americas and Europe participated in the struggle to achieve self-reliant independence. After independence, their efforts for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula continued in tandem with the endeavors for the democratization of the Republic of Korea.

The story of how 7.4 million Koreans came to settle in 179 countries coincides with the tumultuous history of the Republic of Korea. The history of Korea, from the deprivation of its sovereignty and the gaining of independence to economic development and democratization, is interwoven into the fabric of the lives of overseas Koreans, evident in the varying reasons they ended up around the world: exile, labor migration, adoption, international marriage, academic study abroad and business in foreign markets.

The Convention’s slogan this year makes it clear: the Republic of Korea and overseas Koreans are inseparable. The Republic of Korea and Koreans overseas have shared and lived through the same joys and sorrows. The Republic of Korea’s growth has filled our diaspora with pride. The growth of overseas Koreans has led to the advancement of the Republic of Korea. The history of the Republic of Korea that we are carving out together makes me feel very proud and reassured.

Distinguished overseas Koreans, The 7.4 million Koreans overseas have provided the Republic of Korea a significant source of strength. Whenever I travel abroad, I am encouraged and energized by my encounters with many overseas Koreans. Regrettably, however, the Korean legal system has yet to provide Koreans overseas with

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support commensurate with their contributions to the progress of the homeland. My Administration will first do what it can in its capacity to change this, while working with the National Assembly to help pass related legislation.

The attitude of the Government toward overseas Koreans has to be renewed.

The Government will see to it that relevant policies are formulated and implemented thoroughly in the interest of Koreans abroad. More attention will be paid to your opinions.

Natural disasters, terrorist acts and crimes are on the rise all over the world.

The Government will protect your lives and safety in a more active manner. To this end, the budget for overseas Koreans has significantly increased. Related organizations and personnel have also been expanded to a great extent. Just a few days ago, an earthquake and tsunami hit Indonesia, resulting in many casualties. All possible efforts will be made so that every single person affected will be able to return home safely. Yesterday there was news that a missing Korean was among the dead. I express my deep condolences for the victim and his bereaved relatives. The Crisis Management Division was opened in May. It monitors various incidents and accidents occurring around the

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world 24 hours a day and immediately provides safety related information to Koreans in real time. The infrastructure at overseas missions is being upgraded. A system that can instantly address complaints online will be put in place to reduce the inconveniences of everyday life.

This marks a beginning. The Republic of Korea will be a homeland that all of you here can turn to first as the greatest source of strength in times of trouble. Your children are the Republic of Korea’s children and grandchildren.

Education about our culture, history and language will be expanded to keep your descendants from forgetting their homeland. Assistance will be given so that they can settle into the social fabric of your adopted countries with dignity and pride as Koreans.

Fellow Koreans from abroad, I hope to dream a bigger dream with all of you who made PyeongChang a place of peace and harmony. The dream of South and North Korea becoming one in permanent peace, the dream of you and your children visiting your homeland by car or train, the dream of achieving shared prosperity not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in Northeast Asia and around the world are the dreams I sincerely expect to accomplish with you.

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. South and North Korea agreed to jointly celebrate the Movement’s centennial with great fanfare next year. I hope that it will become a celebration of the Korean people, encompassing both Koreas and the 7.4 million Koreans overseas. It will be a great opportunity to restore a sense of common identity between the two Koreas. It is my hope that the leaders of Korean communities present here today will seize this initiative.

Gazing down from the plane during my recent trips between Pyeongyang, Samjiyeon and Seoul, I could not find a divided land. There was only our land joined as one. Now the Korean Peninsula needs the united strength of the Korean people. As all of you here have stood tall in a foreign land and become the pride of the Republic of Korea, I hope you will serve as a driving force that helps turn a crisis into an opportunity and the impossible into the possible.

Fellow Koreans, let us create a greater unity together and write a new chapter in the history of the Korean people.

Thank you.

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23.

OCTOBER 16, 2018

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT FRANCE-KOREA BUSINESS LEADERS SUMMIT

Minister of the Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire, President of MEDEF International Frédéric Sanchez, Korea International Trade Association Chairman Kim Young-ju, and business leaders from both countries, I am pleased to meet you all.

Thank you for inviting me to this event to facilitate exchanges between the business leaders of our two countries. It is very meaningful for me to make a state visit to France the first leg of my European tour.

The spirit of the French Revolution characterized by liberty, equality and fraternity transcended time and space and pervaded the candlelight revolution that lit Gwanghwamun Plaza. Paris is the city most loved by people around the world. Quaint buildings well blended along the Seine are like a piece of artwork. The steps of cultured Parisians diffuse freedom and prosperity.

The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau has become the foundation for modern democracy. Such French inventions as the steamboat, helicopter, dry cell battery and inflatable tire led the development of relevant industries. It was the French who created the modern Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, two festivals for humanity. I send my respect to the people of France who greatly contributed to the advancement of humanity with generosity and tolerance.

Distinguished business leaders of both countries, Over the past 130 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, France has been Korea’s good friend who provided a great boost in times of difficulties.

During the Japanese colonial rule, the League of Friends of Korea in Paris launched a drive to collect a million signatures on a petition calling for Korea’s independence. It was in the former French concession in China where the Provisional Government Shanghai based its headquarters. France sent 3,400 troops to fight in the Korean War. We will never forget their noble sacrifices.

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France has also stood by Korea’s economic development. In the 1970s, Korea became the first Asian country to order planes from France-based Airbus, laying the groundwork for its aviation industry. In the 1980s, the country built a nuclear power plant with French technology. In the 1990s, Korea took France’s TGV as its model for high-speed trains. Now our two countries’ cooperation in the aerospace sector has led to the joint development of satellites. Korea has still a lot to learn from France.

Our two countries are jointly developing technology by playing off each other’s strengths in cutting-edge fields such as autonomous driving cars and information and communication technology. Koreans use Renault cars and L’Oreal cosmetics while the French use hydrogen-powered taxies made by Hundai Motor Company and Sulwhasoo cosmetics.

The number of people travelling back and forth between our two countries reached 510,000 last year. About 16,000 Koreans now live in France, including approximately 7,000 students, and many young French people enjoy K-pop and Korean cuisine. The expanding economic cooperation and people-topeople exchanges are drawing France and Korea closer.

Distinguished business leaders from both nations, Yesterday, President Macron and I agreed to deepen and further develop a comprehensive partnership for the 21st century between France and the Republic of Korea in a forward-looking manner. Today, I am going to speak with you about three directions for economic cooperation between our two countries.

First, bilateral trade and investment have to be drastically expanded. In the first half of this year, trade between our two countries increased to a great extent after having faltered so far. Trade items have been diversified to include eco-friendly vehicles, aircraft parts and cosmetics, and what is especially meaningful is the fact that both countries' imports and exports have risen together.

There are many more areas in which our two countries can increase trade and investment. Naver, a Korean web portal, has recently raised funds to invest in French startups. Samsung Electronics founded an artificial intelligence research center in Paris. Today, Hyundai Motor Company of Korea and Air Liquide SA of France will sign a memorandum of understanding on hydrogen-related cooperation and the supply of hydrogen-powered cars. The Korea International Trade Association and the Movement of the Enterprises

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of France agreed to join forces to support the advancement of Korean and French businesses into each other’s country. This agreement will serve as a new milestone in promoting businesses entering each other’s market.

Utilizing regular dialogue channels between the economic ministers of Korea and France, the Korean Government will help expand bilateral trade and investment as well as actively support you business leaders.

Second, cooperation in future industries needs to be promoted to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Both France and Korea are making pangovernment efforts to respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. From 2013, France has initiated the La French Tech program. With an aim to foster new industries, Korea newly established the Presidential Committee on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Bilateral cooperation in new industries is coming to fruition through the Korea-France Joint Forum for Innovative Industry, which was launched in 2014.

Renault S.A. and a team of Korean researchers are jointly developing autonomous driving technology for low-speed, congested traffic. The technology will be applied to electric vehicles beginning in 2020. A big data

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platform linking hospital- and home-care medical treatment that was codeveloped by Korean and French firms has already successfully entered commercialization. LG Electronics and France-based Levisys are expected to jointly enter the seawater desalination facility certification business in Vietnam.

MOUs on a science and technology cooperation roadmap and fintech will be signed soon between the two Administrations. They will be an asset for technological cooperation and a bridgehead to a new market for the financial industry.

Third, bilateral cooperation on fostering startups will be strengthened.

Starting new innovative businesses vitalizes the economy and constitutes the best way to provide decent jobs to young people. Around 10,000 companies, including Facebook and Microsoft, moved into Station F, a startup campus in France opened last year. Korea also launched the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and has been making every effort to create a startup-friendly ecology.

If our two countries combine strengths, we will be able to make even greater achievements. The Korea-France Startup Summit in which over 60 startups from our two countries took part was held yesterday. The Small and Medium Business Corporation of Korea and Station F signed an agreement to support startups from both countries. I hope that the number of startups will further increase in our two countries and more startups will enter each other’s market through the joint operation of startup programs and exchanges between these companies.

Distinguished business leaders from Korea and France, France is the center of politics, the economy and culture in Europe and Korea is a foothold in Northeast Asia. Our markets are clearly attractive to each other. If peace is established on the Korean Peninsula, Korea will become an even better investment destination.

I speak with confidence that this is the most optimal moment to advance Korea-France economic cooperation. Our two countries uphold democracy, hold respect for humanity and do not fear changes. I am certain that if our two countries come together, we will be able to usher in an inclusive and more prosperous era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

I hope that you business leaders will take the initiative. The Korean Government will also assist exchanges and cooperation among you with all its might. Thank you.

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24.

OCTOBER 17, 2018

REMARKS DURING SPECIAL MASS AT VATICAN FOR PEACE ON KOREAN PENINSULA

Praise Jesus!

His Eminence Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State, Distinguished guests, It is my great pleasure to be here at St. Peter’s basilica, the home of Catholic faith, to meet you all and attend this Holy Mass.

On behalf of the Korean people, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Cardinal Parolin for personally celebrating this Special Mass for Peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as all the staff here at the Holy See who have extended warm hospitality and prepared this meaningful event.

Half a century ago, on October 6, 1968, 24 Korean martyrs were beatified here in this Basilica of St. Peter. For the first time, prayers and hymns in Korean resounded in this great cathedral. The Korean faithful numbering 500 shed tears of joy. Up until today, Korea has produced 103 martyrs, which is the fourth largest number in the world, behind Italy, Spain and France.

At the homily that day, Pope Paul the 6th challenged people to emulate the great example of the Korean church. He pointed out that, in the global history of the Catholic church, Korea is a unique case in the sense that the church movement started after people had a direct encounter with the word of God before the missionaries came. This was a great honor bestowed upon the Catholic church in Korea.

The Catholic church in Korea embraced the down and out and emulated the life of Jesus in the form of a social calling. During the dark hours of colonization, division, war and dictatorship, it stood tall to shed light on human dignity and justice, as well as the path of peace and love.

The priests and the laity in Korea stood by the weak and the persecuted within

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the society. At times, they took to the streets to stand for democracy and human rights.

I myself have served as a member of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace as well as the Commission for Human Rights for a long time. I’m immensely proud of this fact.

Having witnessed the dedication of the Catholic Church for democracy, human rights and welfare, the Korean people came to respect the Catholic faith as an exemplary religion. I hope glory shines upon the Catholic church.

Distinguished guests, Right now on the Korean Peninsula, historic and heartwarming changes are taking place. In September, Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea and I adopted the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration. We vowed to end military confrontation between the two Koreas and declared a peaceful Korean Peninsula that is free from nuclear weapons and threats in front of the whole world.

Thus far, the two Koreas have been implementing the agreements one at a time. We are withdrawing weapons and guard posts from the demilitarized zone. We are also conducting demining operations. The West Sea, where armed conflicts brewed in the past, has now become the sea of peace and cooperation.

The United States and North Korea have also ended the 70 year-long hostile relations and have sat down together. Just as Pope Francis had prayed ahead of the U.S.-North Korea Summit, we are blazing the trail for a noble endeavor that will secure the future of peace for the Korean Peninsula and the whole world.

During the harsh winter of 2017, the Korean people carried the candles in the most beautiful and peaceful way to safeguard democracy and light the new way forward. The path of peace that began from the candlelight revolution became the driving force of a miraculous turnaround.

The Holy See dispatched a delegation to the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games and provided strong support to peace on the Korean Peninsula. Pope Francis blessed our journey towards peace and walked together with us through his prayers.

I would like to once again express my profound gratitude to Pope Francis

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and the Holy See for providing great encouragement and hope to the Korean nation as a whole and the two Koreas that desire peace and are currently recovering the sense of brotherhood.

His Eminence Cardinal Parolin, Distinguished guests, The love for humankind that Christianity and the European civilization helped blossom transcended time and space to provide encouragement to the Korean Peninsula. The spirit of inclusiveness and solidarity embodied by the European Union is providing inspiration to our journey towards permanent peace on the Peninsula.

The history that humankind has been writing so far is a regrettable one permeated with stories of war. The declaration to end the war on the Korean Peninsula and the signing of a peace treaty will be akin to dissolving the last remaining Cold War regime on the earth.

As written in the book of Psalms, love and truth will meet, and justice and

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peace will embrace each other in a kiss now on the Korean Peninsula. The prayers we have offered for peace on the Korean Peninsula at the St. Peter’s Basilica today will also resound as echoes of hope in the hearts of the people of the two Koreas as well as the people of the whole world who desire peace.

This will be a source of great strength for our people who long for peace.

Our prayers today will turn into reality for sure. We will achieve peace and overcome division without fail.

I pray for peace for each one of you.

Thank you.

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25.

OCTOBER 19, 2018

REMARKS AT RETREAT SESSION OF 12th ASEM SUMMIT IN BRUSSELS

Honorable Chair, heads of state and government, representatives from member states, It is very meaningful for me to be able to share with you a vision for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

ASEM has always been a partner on the journey toward peace on the Peninsula. In 2000 when the first inter-Korean summit took place, the 3rd ASEM Summit was held in Seoul. Member states welcomed with one voice the results of the inter-Korean summit and adopted the Seoul Declaration for Peace on the Korean Peninsula.

At the 4th ASEM Summit in 2002, President Kim Dae-jung proposed an initiative for an iron Silk Road to link railroads in Eurasia and on the Korean Peninsula. The plan attracted keen attention from countries in Asia and Europe.

Even last year when tensions on the Korean Peninsula reached a peak, Asian and European countries provided unwavering support for the idea that peaceful and diplomatic approaches would be the only solution.

In February this year, miraculous changes began to take place on the Korean Peninsula on the occasion of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Through the *Panmunjom Declaration, the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration and the Sentosa Agreement, the leaders of South and North Korea and the United States reconfirmed our mutual trust and promised complete denuclearization and the settlement of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. Now, we look ahead to the 2nd U.S.-North Korea summit and the 4th inter-Korean summit of my Administration. In terms of denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, we now have entered the stage of full-fledged practice and implementation. * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.�

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Member countries of ASEM expressed their unsparing support and intentions to contribute to denuclearization on the Peninsula. I take this opportunity to express my profound appreciation to all ASEM member nations for standing by us as partners for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Honorable Chair, Europe established a significant milestone in human history.

Politically, it overcame the Cold War rivalry, in which ideological confrontations and arms races intensified. Economically, it launched the European Coal and Steel Community, which gave rise to the European Union.

I believe that integration and harmony can also be achieved on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Dissolving the last Cold War rivalry that lingers on the Korean Peninsula replicates the process of creating a peaceful and prosperous order in Europe.

When conditions are right, South and North Korea will pursue economic cooperation in earnest. This will naturally lead to multilateral security partnerships, going beyond economic cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Reflecting this vision, I proposed in August this year the creation of the East Asian Railroad Community encompassing six East Asian nations as well as the United States.

South and North Korea have already embarked on joint research to reconnect severed railroads and roads. Close consultations with related countries are also underway.

I ask you heads of state and government and representatives of the ASEM member nations to continue sending as much interest and support as you have.

Achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula will make Asia and Europe more prosperous. Our young generations will crisscross various parts of the ASEM member nations and realize our dreams.

Thank you.

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26.

OCTOBER 20, 2018

ADDRESS AT PARTNERING FOR GREEN GROWTH AND THE GLOBAL GOALS 2030(P4G) SUMMIT

Your Excellency Prime Minister Rasmussen, heads of state and government, distinguished guests, I feel comfortable to meet you here in Denmark. In this land of abundant happiness, I could almost lose sight of the importance of our goals of sustainable development and climate change response. I am very pleased to attend the first P4G Summit today. I pay tribute to Prime Minister Rasmussen and the citizens of Copenhagen for preparing this Summit.

Denmark is a leading country in many different areas, but particularly it has been responding to the climate change crisis more actively than any other nation in the world. Since the 1970s, Denmark has pursued a policy to transition to renewable energy, and it has also set out a national vision forswearing the use of fossil fuels after 2050. Such determination by Denmark has led to today’s P4G. When the Republic of Korea was on the verge of a crisis, Denmark came to its aid and has shared in its happiness. During the Korean War, the Danish hospital ship Jutlandia docked in Korea for 999 days and treated some 5,000 soldiers and over 6,000 civilians. Even after the truce, the country continued to heal the wounds and pains of Koreans by providing medical supplies and services as well as medical technology training programs.

The Republic of Korea was able to overcome the War thanks to support from Denmark and many other countries around the world. Because of their help, Korea can now join the world in responding to global crises. The love for humanity, in which Danes made sacrifices for a country with which they had no diplomatic relations and for a people whom they had never met, brought about miraculous achievements.

I believe that our power to accomplish sustainable development and respond

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to the climate change crisis also lies in a love for humankind. Just as the world helped the Republic of Korea, the country will also always contribute to help the international community through a love for humanity.

Distinguished guests, The love for humanity is the mindset of embracing all without discrimination.

The Administration of the Republic of Korea, born out of the candlelight revolution, knows better than most any other about the power of inclusiveness.

An inclusive nation and inclusive growth in which the lives of the people are taken care of throughout their entire life cycle and the benefits of economic growth are distributed equally are values to which the Republic of Korea aspires.

With a proposal that countries place the spirit of inclusiveness at the center of their relationships, I will speak with you today about three such spirits for the sake of sustainable growth and climate change response.

First is the inclusiveness that transcends national borders and sectors.

On October 6, the International Panel on Climate Change adopted a special report “Global Warming of 1.5°C.” Climate experts predict that if we limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, compared with 2°C, it would be possible to save the lives of 10 million people.

Prior to this, the Paris Agreement announced that it would be possible to adapt to global warming of 1.5°C through poverty eradication and the reduction of inequalities. It means that all countries, including developing nations and vulnerable areas, have to jointly respond to climate change on the basis of international assistance and cooperation.

It is impossible to tackle such a global agenda as climate change through the efforts of some countries and the public sector exclusively. This is why I look forward to the role of P4G projects that draw together various countries, civil societies and industrial entities from different continents. This anticipated outcome will be obtainable only when a viable, practical vision is in place.

In July this year, Korea launched a platform aimed at facilitating civilian cooperation for P4G projects. Related ministries and agencies, institutions, businesses and civil society will join forces to achieve goals in five major areas of P4G: water, energy, circular economy, cities and agriculture.

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Public-private cooperation projects will not be confined to environmental achievements alone. These projects will be implemented in a way that enhances inclusiveness in our society such as job creation, inequality resolution and the spread of green technologies.

Second is Asia’s inclusiveness.

From 2000 BCE, Asian countries have regarded mountain cultivation and water management as the overriding virtue in the successful management of a state. Literally, it means controlling mountains and water, but the underlying spirit is to respect Mother Nature. They planted trees to prevent landslides and allowed water to flow naturally, instead of containing it, to reduce damage from floods and draughts. We should study this ancient wisdom.

However, many Asian countries have recently been promoting rapid economic growth centered on manufacturing and are unable to implement environmental protections in earnest. China and India’s combined population has surpassed 2.7 billion, accounting for more than one third of the world’s total.

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I believe that only when Asian nations actively participate and international cooperation takes place can climate change countermeasures and the dream of sustainable development be realized. Comprehensive aid from developed countries and international organizations is urgent.

Especially such countries as North Korea, which have not gone through manufacturing-focused growth, can be assisted in their efforts to apply a growth model that seeks to combine economic growth and sustainable development from the beginning. I hope that we can find ways to help such countries take part in the common prosperity of humanity that avoid increasing carbon dioxide emissions.

Third is the sharing of successful examples and inclusiveness.

While the Republic of Korea grew to a middle power from a developing country, it also achieved successes through its environmental policies.

Beginning with reforestation projects that turned lands ravaged after the Korean War into thick forests, Korea has had various successes in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through green growth policies over the past 10 years, all the while maintaining growth.

Even today, Korea is vigorously promoting a transition to a clean and safe energy system. It is also in consultation with related countries regarding the Northeast Asia super grid initiative. We will gladly share these experiences with other countries.

The Republic of Korea is also taking the lead in sharing these experiences with developing nations and supporting them through the Global Green Growth Institute and the Green Climate Fund. I believe that if the cases of even more countries are shared and included to benefit people around the world, humanity will be able to make even greater progress.

Prime Minister Rasmussen and distinguished guests, Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, which are loved by people around the world, end with the following sentence: “and they lived happily ever after.”

We want such an ending. For sustainable growth and climate change response, the Republic of Korea will always stand with the international community in support of the spirit and implementation of P4G. Thank you.

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27.

NOVEMBER 08, 2018

CONGRATULATORY REMARKS AT 1st KOREARUSSIA REGIONAL COOPERATION FORUM

I would like to express my gratitude to His Excellency President Putin for the message which was read on his behalf by Minister Kozlov.

Minister Kozlov of the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East, and Governors from the Russian Far East, I wholeheartedly welcome you all to the city of Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do province here in the Republic of Korea.

Gyeongsangbuk-do is the heart of the Republic of Korea’s industrialization.

In the 1970s, hope that we too could thrive like other countries was ignited by the blast furnaces of Pohang and the export industrial complexes in Daegu and Gumi. Such hope has become the driving force of economic development in our country and filled the hearts of all Koreans with pride.

As symbolized by Postech, the world-class university and research center, Pohang has evolved steadily from the center of the steel industry to a hub of innovation that unites industry, academia and research institutions. The city is also transforming into a center of logistics and tourism for the East Sea Rim, connecting the Korean Peninsula, Russia’s Far East and Japan. It is very meaningful that the first Korea-Russia Regional Cooperation Forum is being held in Pohang, a city defined by both hope and innovation.

Distinguished guests, Relations between Russia and Korea have seen continuous development since our two countries established diplomatic ties in 1990. The total number of visits made between the peoples of our two countries reached a new high last year at 510,000, and total trade increased by 41 percent compared to 2016 to reach US$19 billion. In the first half of this year, total trade rose by 11.8 percent from the same period last year.

The Russian Far East, in particular, is the center for exchanges and cooperation

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between our countries. It is where generations of shared history, close geographic proximity, and similar emotions among our peoples exist. This is also where Russia’s New East Policy and our New Northern Policy meet.

A total of 39 Korean companies have a presence in the Far East and are involved in a variety of industries, including agriculture, fishing, housing, and transportation. Over one-third of bilateral trade between the two countries, worth US$ 7.1 billion, stemmed from the Far East region, and 100,000 Korean citizens visited the Russian Maritime Province last year alone.

President Putin and I met in Vladivostok in September last year and again in Moscow in June this year for in-depth discussions on how to promote friendship and cooperation. We reaffirmed that our two countries are optimal partners for the development of the Russian Far East and agreed that bilateral cooperation has the potential to transform the region into a foothold for prosperity and peace in Northeast Asia.

Furthermore, it was agreed that a regional cooperation forum, with an emphasis on the Far East, would be held to expand practical cooperation through the participation of local governments, businesses, and residents.

Today is a historic moment as we take the initial steps in that regard. I express my deep gratitude to the citizens of Gyeongsangbuk-do and Pohang as well as the relevant officials for their hard work in preparing this forum. I also thank the local government representatives and business leaders from the two countries for joining this forum. The Korea-Russia Regional Cooperation Forum will be a turning point for the central and local governments of our two countries to embark on a journey toward exchanges and cooperation on all fronts.

Distinguished guests, In the year 2020, our two countries will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. We have built friendship and trust and achieved great outcomes through exchanges and cooperation over the course of the last 30 years.

Now, we must open a new perspective on cooperation based on our friendship and achievements. The scope of cooperation between our two countries must become less centralized and be expanded to provincial regions so that all may prosper equally.

These local provinces are the roots of national development. Local governments

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must take the lead in regional development in ways that reflect regional characteristics, and the central government must provide robust support.

Exchanges and cooperation between countries must be promoted in parallel with cooperation among regions.

When residents and businesses of provincial regions become the leading force behind such cooperation, regional development in our two countries will accelerate, thereby leading to the overall national development of both countries.

The “Nine Bridges of Cooperation� plan, which has been promoted between Russia and Korea encompassing the fields of gas exploration, railroad construction, power generation, shipbuilding, job creation, agriculture, fisheries, port construction, and the Northern Sea Route development, cannot be realized solely through cooperation on a central government level.

When the local governments of our two countries also cooperate to devise and follow through on action plans tailored to the industries in their regions, each of these Nine Bridges will become more robust and transform into new

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growth engines for regional development.

My Administration launched the “Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation” in August last year to strengthen cooperation with the Russian Far East. We will work together with the “Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East” to enable cooperation between the local governments of our two countries. When we achieve substantive cooperation beginning with the residents of these regions, a new 30-year period of KoreaRussia relations will begin.

Distinguished guests, During my state visit to Russia last June, I stated that a peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula will open a new chapter for Korea-Russia economic cooperation.

The United States and North Korea are preparing for a new summit. We are looking forward to Chairman Kim Jong Un making a reciprocal visit to Seoul.

President Putin has consistently and strongly supported our journey toward permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

My Administration will further strengthen the foundation of trilateral cooperation among South Korea, North Korea and Russia through peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Far East will serve as the heart of the logistics and energy network between the Korean Peninsula and Eurasia.

Both Gyeongsangbuk-do and the city of Pohang will play important roles.

Pohang has had a successful track record in implementing the “Rajin-Hassan Project,” which was a pilot program for trilateral economic cooperation among South Korea, North Korea and Russia. Today, container ships regularly come and go between Pohang Yeongilman Port and the Port of Vladivostok.

The construction of an international passenger terminal at Pohang’s Yeongilman Port will be completed by 2020. This port is part of the plan for a new leap forward, and it will serve as a hub for the marine tourism industry of the East Sea Rim that connects Korea, Russia and Japan.

When the era of peace dawns on the Peninsula, Yeongilman Port will be a key base for logistics and tourism connecting North Korea’s Goseong and Rajin ports with Russia’s Vladivostok and Zarubino ports through sea lanes.

Furthermore, once the Donghae Line is reconnected, Yeongilman Port will

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play an essential role in trade with northern countries as rail lines will stretch through North Korea to Siberia and ultimately on to Europe. Gyeongsangbukdo on the Korean Peninsula of peace will develop into the heart of northern trade and a center of logistics in the East Sea Rim. Minister Kozlov of the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East, Governors from the Russian Far East, and distinguished guests, The great waves that have changed history have always begun as ripples in provincial regions. When our country faced hardships, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where we are today, has played a leading role as seen in its participation in the righteous army movement, the campaign to repay the national debt to Japan and the independence movement.

This province has led the economic development and prosperity of the Republic of Korea since our liberation. The Korea-Russia Regional Cooperation Forum beginning in Pohang today will become yet another wave of cooperation inspired by the progressive spirit of Gyeongsangbuk-do. This forum will provide the necessary momentum for 11 provinces in the Russian Far East and 17 local governments in the Republic of Korea to walk together on a path toward mutual benefits and prosperity.

I hope that more local government representatives from our two countries will be present at the second forum to be held in the Russian Maritime Province next year. It is also my sincere wish that the people of our two countries will join this great journey to help realize peace and prosperity on the Eurasian Continent.

Thank you.

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28.

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

CLOSING REMARKS AT 20th ASEAN-ROK SUMMIT

I am grateful to you all for sharing your wisdom to benefit Korea-ASEAN cooperation and for welcoming my proposal to host the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit next year.

Valuing people is what Asian countries share in common. Our goal is to ensure that the 700 million people in Korea and ASEAN – 10 percent of the global population – can prosper together. The top priority of Korea’s New Southern Policy is to create a “people-centered community.”

With the hope of encouraging mutual visits and bringing the people of ASEAN member states and Korea even closer, the size of next year’s ASEANROK Cooperation Fund will be doubled. Korea will make an earnest effort to carry out projects that ASEAN residents are in need of, such as rural development like Korea’s Saemaul Movement and improvements in healthcare for easier access to medical services.

We will foster future generations who will lead efforts for cooperation.

Scholarship programs for outstanding undergraduates majoring in science and engineering will be significantly expanded, and support will be provided for the establishment of technical education and vocational training institutions.

Over 500,000 people from ASEAN countries are currently living in Korea.

Workers, immigrants by marriage, and international students from ASEAN countries are making enormous contributions to the development of Korea.

We will strive to enhance their rights and interests, as well as their quality of life.

ASEAN’s development is Korea’s development. Together with ASEAN, we will create a community of mutual prosperity where all can thrive. To this end, we will share our experiences of economic growth with ASEAN member states.

An additional US$100 million will be jointly raised for the “New Southern Support Fund” by the public and private sectors by 2022. More Korean companies will participate in establishing ASEAN countries’ transport, energy

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and water resource infrastructure. The ASEAN Smart Cities Network project is a matter of great interest to my Administration. Korea will share its strengths to the greatest possible extent and actively take part in it.

Closing gaps in development is the key to the advancement of a community.

Korea will join in the creation of an ASEAN community where no one is left behind. We will more than double the scale of grants for ASEAN, with the focus of support placed on strengthening its digital capacity in preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The connections between Korea and ASEAN will be strengthened through the efforts of small and medium-sized enterprises. To increase technical cooperation and exchanges between SMEs, Korea will open a Technology Advice and Solutions from Korea (TASK) center in the ASEAN region. We will also support the establishment of a network of Korean and ASEAN SMEs through the ASEAN-Korea Business Council.

Finally, together with ASEAN, we will forge a peace community where people are safe. This year, the ASEAN region suffered a host of hardships

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caused by natural disasters, including typhoons and earthquakes. Given the pace of climate change, we are likely to face more disasters going forward, and efforts for prevention are crucial. Korea will also work together with ASEAN nations in responding to disasters. We will provide support for strengthening disaster management capacity and for establishing a flash flood emergency system. We will also join forces to overcome non-conventional, cross-border security threats such as terrorism, violent extremism, and cyber security breaches. Korea will take part in establishing an ASEAN Cyber Security Center and will carry out a project to enhance ASEAN’s counterterrorism capabilities.

Chairman and heads of state and government, An era of peace is dawning on the Korean Peninsula. Peace on the Korean Peninsula will lead to our long-dreamt-of East Asian community.

Dramatic changes have transpired over the course of the past year: North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, three rounds of inter-Korean summits, and the North Korea-United States summit held here in Singapore. The consistent support that ASEAN has demonstrated has provided a great boost for the journey toward peace. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude. I also request that the heads of state and government continue to show keen interest and support until complete denuclearization is achieved and steadfast peace is established on the Korean Peninsula.

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia has suggested inviting the leader of North Korea to attend next year’s ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit. This is a truly noteworthy proposal. If circumstances on the Korean Peninsula continue to move toward peace, I will actively review this proposal and consult with ASEAN member states in advance. I, again, appreciate this tremendous proposal.

I look forward to meeting you all again at the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit as well as at the inaugural Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit next year.

Thank you.

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29.

‌ NOVEMBER 15, 2018

CLOSING REMARKS AT ASEAN+3 SUMMIT

Chairman, heads of state and government, ASEAN+3 has played a pivotal role in realizing the East Asian Community.

An increasing number of challenges, including security issues, trade disputes, climate change and disasters, have called for our closer cooperation. I would like to speak with you about several significant areas for cooperation and Korea’s roles.

First, we must strengthen our coordinated crisis response mechanism.

ASEAN+3 has forged a steadfast, cooperative foundation to counter such external threats as liquidity and food crises. Together with Singapore, Korea has co-chaired this year’s ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting. An agreement has been reached that the “Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization” should be reviewed on a regular basis in order to improve capabilities to respond to financial crises. Korea has also taken an active role in the revision of the ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve agreement. We can therefore expect East Asia’s food supply to be secure and managed stably. Korea will continue to jointly deal with various crises and actively contribute to enhancing our joint response capabilities.

Second, we must align each country’s systems and regulations through innovation.

The time has come for one system agreed upon by all relevant countries for cooperation in the fields of transport, energy and ICT. The joint research project into Supply Chain Connectivity (SCC) is an exemplary case for the innovative strengthening of connectivity that coordinates systems and regulations. Application of IT and the standardization of Harmonized System codes can drastically reduce logistical costs and the time required.

In response to one of the recommendations of the East Asia Vision Group II, Korea has proposed a feasibility study on the exchange of Electronic Certificates of Origin (e-C/O). A Certified e-C/O exchange platform would

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enhance speed and precision during customs clearances, while creating a new model of innovation by pairing with the SCC. This will also serve as a practical foundation for pursuing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Third, we must strive together to improve the quality of life for all members of the ASEAN community.

Infectious diseases and the abuse or misuse of antibiotics are issues that cannot be solved within the national borders of one country. I welcome the adoption, during this meeting, of a statement in the area of health regarding the joint response to antibiotic resistance. Due to ever-increasing disasters and calamities, there’s an urgent need for coordinated and united responses.

As co-chair of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief over the past two years, Korea has played a leading role in disaster relief, one of the five major areas of cooperation. An agreement on the establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization, which was proposed by Korea and jointly pursued by Korea and ASEAN, also came into effect this year. Korea has its own experience successfully restoring land and forests devastated by war. We intend to share our experience with ASEAN and contribute to restoring forests and reviving endangered plants.

Fourth, we must continue our efforts to cultivate talent.

Nurturing competent individuals will narrow the educational and technological gap, bringing about the substantive integration of ASEAN. Korea hosted the ASEAN Student Camp for the Gifted in Science last January and trained officials in charge of public administration and personnel management last April. We have also cooperated in the field of Technical Vocational Education and Training and expanded the scope of education for talented individuals. The establishment of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology is one example that demonstrates the advances in our cooperation toward fostering talent in ASEAN. Korea intends to expand such cooperation with the aim of reaching all ASEAN member countries.

Distinguished heads of state and government, The East Asian Community must move toward a peace and prosperity where all community members can thrive together. The leaders who were present during the initial organization of ASEAN+3 are with us here today. I would like to express my respect for their pioneering endeavors.

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Prime Minister Mahathir. We look forward to continuing to receive great inspiration from his wisdom. I believe it’s worthwhile to actively consider Prime Minister Mahathir’s proposal for an East Asian trade settlement initiative.

The Korean Government will redouble its efforts to ensure that the vision for an ASEAN community becomes reality.

Thank you.

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30.

NOVEMBER 15, 2018

REMARKS AT EAST ASIA SUMMIT

Thank you, Chairman.

Your Majesty, heads of state and government, East Asia is now faced with grave challenges. Growing concerns have been voiced over cross-border threats, such as terrorism, violent extremism and natural disasters, as well as protectionism. This is precisely the time when East Asia Summit-level cooperation is needed.

For its part, Korea is making determined efforts to resolve Korean Peninsularelated issues in the belief that peace on the Peninsula is the beginning of peace and common prosperity in East Asia.

At last year’s meeting, we confirmed the primary principles of denuclearization and the settlement of peace on the Korean Peninsula. The heads of state and government demonstrated active support for the efforts made by my Administration to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful manner.

The Korean Peninsula has witnessed miraculous changes since last year’s summit. An era of peace is now dawning, following North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, three rounds of interKorean summits and the first ever North Korea-United States summit held here in Singapore.

Families separated by Korea’s division had reunions, and the remains of U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War were repatriated. Weapons and guard posts in the demilitarized zone are being withdrawn, and the West Sea of Korea, once considered a “powder keg in the sea,” is now being transformed into a sea of cooperation and peace.

North Korea is continuing its steps for denuclearization. North Korea has dismantled its nuclear test sites under the watchful eyes of the international

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community, and it has promised to destroy its missile test site and launching pad and allow inspections of those areas. Corresponding measures from the United States were demanded as preconditions, but the expression of willingness to permanently dismantle the Yeongbyeon nuclear complex is enormous progress as well.

A reciprocal visit of Chairman Kim Jong Un to Seoul and a second North Korea-United States summit are expected to occur in the near future. My Administration will continue to cooperate closely with East Asian Summit member states for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula and throughout East Asia. I hope that North Korea will implement complete denuclearization with sincerity and begin to participate in a variety of ASEAN meetings. I urge the East Asian Summit and the international community to show continued support.

Chairman, heads of state and government, For East Asian countries, the sea is a conduit for exchanges and cooperation and a path toward prosperity. Many ships sail across the South China Sea, in particular, and approximately 40 percent of Korea’s total trade crosses it.

I hope that the “Code of Conduct on the South China Sea,” a draft of which was agreed upon by China and ASEAN last August, will be concluded in a manner that respects international laws – including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – as well as the rights and interests of all countries, so that unrestricted passage and flights over the Sea can be realized.

This year, East Asia was hit by many disasters. I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences and consolation to the people of Indonesia who suffered from the earthquake and tsunami which struck Sulawesi last September. As Korea often suffers hardships from typhoons and earthquakes, it is particularly sympathetic and has taken special interest in providing humanitarian assistance and support for recovery and reconstruction. We will collaborate through programs such as the Asia disaster resilience promotion project in order to prevent disasters and provide support for damage relief.

Furthermore, I welcome the efforts toward establishing the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. Korea will actively take part in crossborder cooperation for the sake of cybersecurity within the region.

Chairman, heads of state and government,

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The East Asian Summit Leaders’ Statement on ASEAN Smart Cities, which was jointly proposed by Korea, has been adopted during this meeting. I would like to express my gratitude to the heads of state and government for their support. I believe that this will be a great opportunity to cooperate on new smart city technologies.

Korea is pursuing the construction of people-centered, inclusive and sustainable smart cities. Utilizing its world-class ICT prowess and relevant know-how, it will take an active role in constructing smart cities in ASEAN nations.

Lastly, I would like to express my concern over the violence that has occurred in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and the large number of refugees it has caused. I support the international community’s efforts to provide generous humanitarian assistance to those refugees.

Korea is looking forward to action from the Independent Commission of Enquiry, which was established by the government of Myanmar last July, and sincerely hopes for the refugees’ safe and prompt return home.

This year, Korea provided US$7 million for humanitarian activities undertaken by international organizations working in Bangladesh and Myanmar. We will continue to make contributions to the reconstruction of Rakhine State while actively cooperating with the international community as well as with Myanmar’s government.

If we are able to overcome the challenges facing us now, the East Asia of peace and prosperity will be within our reach. Through cooperation, all of our countries will be able to prosper together.

Korea will never cease its efforts to realize a people-centered East Asia.

Thank you.

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31.

NOVEMBER 18, 2018

REMARKS AT 2018 APEC ECONOMIC LEADERS’ MEETING

Distinguished Chairperson, heads of state and government, I am glad to see you all.

For the first time in history, the leaders of APEC member economies are gathered in this beautiful Pacific island country of Papua New Guinea.

Each and every member economy has demonstrated the strength of solidarity and cooperation in the process of preparing this event. I am grateful to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for successfully organizing this meeting.

In the wake of the global financial crisis, the socio-economic divide and economic inequality have become cross-border problems. There have been concerns raised over progress in digitization further widening social gaps.

At this juncture, it is meaningful to be able to discuss the digital future and inclusive growth at the APEC meeting.

Korea achieved rapid economic growth and democratization, but the socioeconomic divide and economic inequality have worsened in the process. To tackle the problem at its root, the Korean Government has set a new national vision: an innovative inclusive state where everyone prospers together. What the Korean Government is pursuing is an inclusiveness free of exclusions, ranging from inclusive growth to an inclusive society and democracy. It is an inclusiveness in which all citizens can thrive, fair opportunities and just results are guaranteed and not a single member of the nation is discriminated against regardless of gender, place of origin, class or age.

Such inclusion is also important in relations between countries. Only when APEC member economies narrow gaps among ourselves and assure fair opportunities and mutually beneficial cooperation can we all be better off and forge ahead together. Last year, APEC leaders agreed on the APEC Action Agenda on Advancing Economic, Financial and Social Inclusion. We decided to achieve a more inclusive APEC community by 2030 by setting goals for

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improving inclusion in economic, financial and social sectors. Advancing inclusion is a common task for APEC member economies.

I hope that the inclusion policies and best practices of those countries that have taken the initiative in relevant efforts will be shared among all member states, and I propose compiling a collection of inclusion policies for the sake of achieving a more inclusive APEC community. This casebook will be of help to member states when indentifying APEC cooperation projects or formulating policies to advance inclusion.

We have also begun discussions on the APEC Post-2020 Vision. I hope that the concept of inclusion, which is about building a community where all member states prosper together, will be reflected as a core value in the discussions.

Distinguished leaders, In the digital age, “non-exclusive inclusion” is all the more important. A digital divide can lead to economic gaps and polarization. I particularly want to emphasize the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises, education and consumer protection.

First, SMEs’ digital capabilities for innovation have to be improved. Enhancing SMEs’ digital capabilities will create a driving force for inclusive growth as they account for 97 percent of all businesses in the Asia-Pacific region.

This year, Korea hosted the APEC Global Networking Program for Young Entrepreneurs. Korea is planning to hold an APEC forum on enhancing SMEs' abilities in Big Data and artificial intelligence next year. I hope this forum will make significant contributions to exchanges and cooperation among SMEs in the region.

Second, digital education for the vulnerable should be strengthened.

Korea has continuously operated the APEC e-Learning Training Program since 2006 to bolster the digital capabilities of the socially disadvantaged in developing countries. Educational programs need to be customized appropriately for the digital era. At the end of this month, Korea and the Philippines will co-host the APEC Future Education Forum. I hope that a new vision for digital era education will be discussed.

Third, consumer protection is an important task in the digital era. In an era when cross-border e-commerce has become commonplace, international

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cooperation for consumer protection is essential. Korea will host an APEC workshop on promoting consumer protection in the digital economy next year. There, active discussions about forming a safe digital environment for consumer protection are expected to take place.

Distinguished heads of state and government, We agreed on the APEC Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap last year.

Now, the time has come to gather wisdom in order to implement it.

Korea supports the roadmap implementation mechanism offered by the chair country. In addition, Korea proposes the establishment of the APEC Digital Innovation Fund to facilitate implementation of the Roadmap.

The fund is expected to encourage participation from economic stakeholders in various countries and become a pump primer to help strengthen the capacity of developing nations. Korea promises to contribute to the establishment and management of the fund in a constructive manner. I am looking forward to support and participation from many member economies.

Our cooperation and endeavors will help lead the future of the digital era toward inclusive growth, hopefully narrowing the digital divides among different countries and bringing about common prosperity.

Thank you.

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32.

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

REMARKS AT RETREAT SESSION OF 13th G20 SUMMIT IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am glad to see you all.

The G20 Summit was launched in the wake of the global financial crisis a decade ago. At the inaugural summit, the participating leaders agreed on five principles to reform financial markets and also established the principles of multilateral trade and open regionalism. Solid coordination helped rejuvenate the global economy.

Now a new task lies ahead of us. Even though the world economy is showing a positive growth trend, protectionism and trade disputes are still threatening free trade. The unwinding of expansionary monetary policies aimed at surmounting the financial crisis is leading to instabilities in global financial markets.

This is a time for the G20 member states to take on a renewed sense of responsibility. We have to once again gather insights and further strengthen our coordination to ensure sustainable growth for the world economy and the stability of financial markets.

The principle of free trade should be firmly adhered to, and joint efforts should be put forth as well for the reform of the WTO to promote fair trade.

Each country should channel its energy into stabilizing financial markets, including measures to achieve sound foreign exchange markets. At the same time, the IMF should brace for a financial crisis preemptively by securing sufficient lending capabilities.

The underlying spirit that supports a free and fair trading system and leads global economic growth is multilateralism. It is also a driving force behind peace.

Since the end of World War II, the international community has sought world peace and prosperity through cooperation between nations. This is evidenced by the efforts of Europe and ASEAN to rise above war and poverty and build

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political and economic communities.

I believe this historic success can be replicated on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

This year, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has changed dramatically.

Through three rounds of inter-Korean summits and the historic North Korea-U.S. summit, the Korean Peninsula is now ushering in peace.

Currently, South and North Korea are carrying out practical measures to completely eliminate the risk of military clashes. I am convinced that the easing of military tensions between the two Koreas will contribute to progress in denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea. In addition, I hope that a second summit between the United States and North Korea will be held as early as possible so that the concrete measures agreed upon at the Singapore Summit will be implemented swiftly. Peace on the Korean Peninsula will become the foundation of peace in Northeast Asia and greatly contribute to global peace and stability.

To that end, I proposed in August the establishment of the East Asian Railroad

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Community on the premise of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It is an initiative to connect railroads between South and North Korea and between Northeast Asia and Europe through cooperation among six Northeast Asian nations and the United States. It can become a driving force to help form energy and economic communities that can lead to a multilateral peace and security system.

When a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula serves as a bridge allowing people and goods to move freely between the continent and ocean, common prosperity will become a tangible reality.

Sustainable development is possible only in a time of peace. I believe that peace on the Korean Peninsula is a path that contributes to the advancement of humanity. I will work ceaselessly to help achieve peace. I ask you, the heads of state and government of the G20, for active support and encouragement.

Thank you.

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NOVEMBER 30, 2018

AT FIRST SESSION OF 13th G20 SUMMIT IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA –PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST–

• REMARKS

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

“People come first” is my political slogan and longstanding philosophy. I am very pleased to see the G20 Summit adopting “Putting People First” as a core message.

The Republic of Korea achieved rapid growth that surprised the world, but it now shares the same concerns as the rest of the world. In the process of development, economic inequality and the socio-economic divide have worsened, and jobless growth has made unemployment a grave problem.

A countermeasure taken by my Administration is a people-centered economy.

We are pushing ahead with innovative growth to revive economic dynamism on the foundation of a fair economy that ensures fair opportunities and competition as well as income-driven growth to help boost domestic consumption by increasing household income.

More than anything else, we are focusing on job-related policies. Efforts are being made to encourage innovative startups, create jobs by fostering new industries and, at the same time, enhance the quality of jobs by increasing minimum wages, converting non-regular workers’ status to that of permanent employees and reducing working hours.

If the people-centered economy takes root, it will enable an inclusive growth that allows the benefits of growth to be equitably distributed. It will help us inch toward the “strong, sustainable and balanced growth” announced in the G20 Leaders’ Statement in 2009.

In anticipation of the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the world is now concerned about the future of work. There is great anxiety about digitalization and automation reducing job opportunities. I believe that pursuing both innovation and inclusiveness through a people-centered Fourth Industrial

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Revolution is the only solution.

In this sense, I have high regard for the adoption of the G20 Menu of Policy Options for the Future of Work. It delineates various efforts such as addressing gaps through inclusive welfare while sustaining growth through technological innovation. I hope each country’s best practices will be widely shared and utilized. When it comes to the future of work, especially about employment gaps, I want to emphasize capacity building for women.

Four years ago, G20 leaders issued the G20 Leaders’ Communiqué following the Brisbane Summit. During last year’s G20 Summit, the leaders agreed to launch the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, which was significant progress.

The expansion of women’s economic and social roles is essential for sustainable growth. Korea is striving to enhance women’s economic participation and to achieve gender equality in employment. Targets for the percentage of women in high-ranking positions in various parts of the public sector are set each year and related policies are being implemented. The private sector is also increasing the number of women in managerial positions by taking active measures to improve employment situation. Parallel efforts are also being made to prevent career interruptions and help women reenter the job market.

Policies have been designed in a way that can provide customized support to female entrepreneurs at different business stages such as startup, growth and expansion. In particular, support will be given to help women demonstrate their digital capacity to the fullest.

Distinguished Chairman and heads of state and government, I would like to see the G20 nations, including Korea, generously share their successes as well as their experiences with trial and error. I hope that international cooperation will be expanded so that digitization does not widen the gap between and within countries.

The Republic of Korea will continue to closely communicate with the G20 members and actively cooperate to bring a fair and sustainable future to people around the world.

Thank you.

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DECEMBER 01, 2018

AT SECOND SESSION OF 13th G20 SUMMIT IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

• REMARKS

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Across the world, abnormal weather conditions and natural disasters have become a part of everyday life. The underside of global economic growth is marked by the dark shadows of global warming and environmental degradation, which loom large as a catastrophic menace to humanity.

Climate change responses and sustainable development are for the survival and continuation of us, rather than me, and of the global community, not a specific country. They constitute investments for our children and grandchildren as well as a world where everyone can prosper together.

Consequently, they are more urgent tasks than any other agenda items and should be implemented by all countries joining forces together.

In 2015, the international community adopted the Paris Agreement in a bid to jointly respond to climate change. Now, it is time to gather our strength to carry the Agreement out. I hope the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will produce detailed implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement in December.

Korea laid out an ambitious target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent by 2030 from its business-as-usual scenario. It has already begun carrying out its energy transition policy and has set its sights on increasing renewable energy’s share in the electricity generation mix to 20 percent by 2030.

The country is phasing out aged coal-fired power plants accordingly and has started constructing a large-scale solar power generation complex and offshore wind energy farm in Saemangeum, reclaimed land along Korea’s west coast. The Government is also actively pushing for new energy-sector businesses based on clean energy technology and the transition to a hydrogen economy.

I look forward to G20 member states playing a leading role to bring about

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active changes in the international community while striving to achieve their own goals.

At the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit held in Denmark in October, I emphasized the significance of solidarity and inclusiveness between nations for overcoming environmental crises.

G20 nations account for 86 percent of global GDP and produce about 80 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. With a much graver sense of responsibility, we must make active contributions to climate change responses.

In addition, assisting developing countries with capacity building to expand their participation is crucial to the success of these endeavors. Korea is playing a leading role in supporting them through the Global Green Growth Institute and the Green Climate Fund. I request G20 member states’ active cooperation to ensure that projects are properly financed as promised and implemented as planned.

Launched in the wake of the global financial crisis, G20 began discussing development agenda at its 2010 Seoul Summit.

At the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit, the participating heads of state and government adopted the G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. During the Summit this time, the Buenos Aires Update was adopted to complement the Action Plan. It was agreed upon to bolster the functions of the Development Working Group and expand exchanges between related organizations and stakeholders. I expect that it will greatly assist G20 members in implementing the Agenda. Korea welcomes the adoption of the Update and will strive further to carry out the Sustainable Development Agenda.

The G20’s role is also very significant in helping the international community achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030. Most of all, securing finances to support developing nations is an urgent matter. In particular, special measures need to be worked out to expand the private sector’s participation and secure finances from it. I propose that G20 members make more active contributions in that regard. To help developing nations fulfill the Agenda, efforts to share experience and knowhow are also necessary. I want to emphasize in particular the importance of inclusive cooperation that is mutually beneficial in the process. Korea is encouraging joint participation by its Government and businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises in recipient countries when carrying out official development assistance and economic cooperation. It is focusing on raising the sustainability of development projects and helping aid-recipient countries foster industrial

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foundations and the ability to grow on their own.

Korea will continue to actively support the sustainable development of developing countries through various means.

Thank you.

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33.

DECEMBER 04, 2018

OPENING REMARKS AT JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING KOREA-NEW ZEALAND SUMMIT

Tena koutou katoa! (Hello everyone). Did I pronounce it right?

I am deeply grateful to Governor-General Reddy, Prime Minister Ardern and the people of New Zealand for warmly welcoming my delegation. Prime Minister Ardern went so far as to announce a welcome statement prior to my state visit. I will never forget her extraordinary friendship.

This is the first visit to New Zealand by a Korean President in nine years. It is all the more meaningful for me to be able to wrap up summit diplomacy in this eventful year of 2018 here in New Zealand.

The Republic of Korea is grateful to have such a close friend as New Zealand that safeguarded freedom and peace with us. Our two countries are in the northern and southern hemispheres, far apart with the Pacific Ocean separating us, but New Zealand dispatched troops just four days after the Korean War broke out. We can never forget New Zealand’s friendship and sacrifice.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1962, our two countries have promoted friendly and cooperative relations in a wide range of areas, including politics, the economy, society and culture.

Importantly, Prime Minister Ardern and I share the administrative vision and goal of “inclusive growth.” There is a Maori proverb saying, “What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.” As such, we both intend to create a country where all the people thrive together. Today, we agreed to advance our bilateral relations in a more mutually beneficial and forward-looking manner while sharing the importance of a “people-centered” approach. We had extensive discussions about implementation measures.

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First, we agreed to further strengthen complementary, mutually beneficial economic cooperation and expand our partnerships in science, technology and the defense industry. The Korea-New Zealand FTA, which took effect in 2015, is now serving as a reliable institutional framework to promote bilateral trade and investment. Our two nations agreed to enhance mutual investments and cooperation in the sectors of agriculture and construction, in which New Zealand and Korea have respective strengths, as well as to identify and push ahead with more projects.

Next year, the Korean-built HMNZS Aotearoa, New Zealand’s new logistics support vessel, will have its launching ceremony. Jointly welcoming the coming ceremony, we agreed to quickly conclude an agreement on military-supply cooperation with an aim to further promote defense industry cooperation.

Our two countries also agreed to further enhance research cooperation on Antarctica. I expect that New Zealand’s long experience as one of the first signatories to the Antarctic Treaty combined with Korea’s advanced research technologies will produce significant findings. In addition, we agreed to diversify bilateral cooperation, including joint research in such new

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industries as bioengineering, healthcare and information and communication technology, which are crucial for responding to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Second, we came to an agreement to further expand people-to-people exchanges between our two countries. On the occasion of my state visit this time, New Zealand decided to implement its eGate system to facilitate the immigration clearance for Koreans. I feel truly grateful for the decision.

We also engaged in discussions about how to promote people-to-people exchanges through various systems, including a working holiday program, a trainee work visa in agriculture and animal husbandry, a language program for rural youth and the special work visa.

Prime Minister Ardern, when she was a student, visited Korea and came to learn more about the country. I believe that our two countries’ young generations visiting each other’s country more and more frequently and getting involved in mutual exchanges while understanding each other and developing empathy will become a foundation for advancing bilateral relations. For its part, the Korean Government will also implement the Next Generation Leaders Exchange Program as a way to invite New Zealand’s young leaders to Korea.

In addition, we also decided to conclude procedures within each country as soon as possible to sign the Social Security Agreement so that the people of our two countries will be guaranteed the right to receive a pension.

Third, we concurred on continuing close cooperation for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. Prime Minister Ardern welcomed the Korean Government’s endeavors to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula and promised her active support going forward. It will be a great boost for our journey toward peace.

Moreover, we decided to advance a free and fair market economy for the prosperity and sustainable growth of the international community and solidify the international trade order based on openness and multilateralism. Sharing a common understanding that diplomatic and economic cooperation in the ASEAN and Pacific region is important, we agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation through New Zealand’s Pacific Reset policy and Korea’s New Southern Policy.

Finally, I extended an invitation to Prime Minister Ardern to visit the Republic of Korea at her convenience.

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I hope that today’s summit will serve as an important milestone to advance the 21st century partnership between Korea and New Zealand in a more forwardlooking manner.

Thank you.

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34.

DECEMBER 10, 2018

CONGRATULATORY REMARKS ON 2018 HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Distinguished guests from home and abroad, Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I extend my deepest respect to all noble endeavors to protect and promote human rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights began by reflecting on the Second World War. Its Preamble and Articles contain a resolute determination that the most horrible war in human history and chronicled barbarous acts must never be repeated. The Declaration’s Article 1 declared that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Delineated in the following 29 Articles are the fundamental human rights that must not be violated by any power, including any country.

The history of the Republic of Korea’s human rights has been a journey of fierce struggle for freedom and equality. The aspirations of every single ordinary citizen coalesced to achieve the right to lead a decent life. The religious and legal communities as well as civic organizations joined forces.

Seoul Cathedral Anglican Church of Korea in which we are gathered today still holds traces of glorious struggle in every corner.

During the Korean War, priests and nuns suffered martyrdom one after another in the name of religious freedom. Standing in the courtyard inside the Cathedral is a monument in honor of the martyrs. This place was also the epicenter of democratic uprisings in defiance of illegal incarceration and torture by past military-influenced regimes. At six o’clock in the evening on June 10, 1987, the sound of bells ringing to herald democracy filled the Cathedral gently. The democratic struggle that originated from here spread like wildfire across the country. Eventually, the era of military dictatorship was brought to an end. When the country’s democracy was in peril two years ago, the waves of candlelight to restore it started right here just as in the past.

The history of the Republic of Korea’s human rights began with the people’s

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strength alone. That history is now inscribed in the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Korea and has led to the birth of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, an independent organization.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, There are boundless rights that humans are entitled to. Children have the right to rest and play as they like. Workers have the right to work under fair and favorable conditions. We have the right to enjoy an adequate standard of living for family health and happiness.

Recently, many people have expressed concerns over the issue of violence against children. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea advised some problematic childcare facilities to conduct on-the-job training related to children’s human rights and set forth its opinions that the competent authorities have to carry out special inspections and guidance to protect them.

Its rationale was that children’s exposure to abuse and violence for a long time would be detrimental to their healthy growth and emotional stability.

The Commission stated that inspecting the lockers of patients in mental

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institutions could possibly infringe on their privacy and freedom. With regard to those who are subject to substandard surroundings at detention facilities, it recommended that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health and Welfare provide appropriate and specialized medical treatments.

Discrimination and hatred have divided our society these days. I heard that Chairperson Choi Young-ae and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea are taking the lead in preparing measures to address these issues. I look forward to a culture of respecting others’ rights as our own taking root in our society.

When human rights are realized in everyday lives, their value is demonstrable.

The endeavors of the Commission will help human rights take hold in our lives. The Commission was once subject to scathing criticisms that it was becoming bureaucratized, closing its eyes and ears to crucial and pending human rights issues in society. However, I am pleased to see it returning to what it was when it was launched, which stood on the side of the vulnerable in society. I hope the Commission will be able to restore its previous reputation as an exemplary national human rights institution in the international community. As President, I promise that the Commission's independence in its undertakings will continue to be thoroughly guaranteed.

In addition, the Government will do its utmost to build a society where everyone, including the vulnerable, can enjoy equal rights and an inclusive society in which no one is discriminated against.

The 3rd National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, which was announced in August this year, is a part of such efforts.

In line with public expectations, the new Plan incorporated novel contents related to the people’s rights to life and safety, corporate social responsibility and respect for human rights. I hope that human rights standards will improve each day and the understanding of human rights will be broadened in our country.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Among countries that underwent colonial rule, dictatorship and war, few countries maintain human rights standards on par with Korea. I believe this is the fruition of the sincere efforts of each human rights activist here.

However, there is still a long way to go. This is because the war on the Korean Peninsula has not completely ended, and peace has not been settled.

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John Humphrey, who wrote the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, said, “[T]here can be no human freedom or dignity unless war and the threat of war is abolished.” The current Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims, “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”

Human rights are guaranteed through peace, and peace is secured through human rights.

Dissolving the vestige of the Cold War and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula is to promote human rights and decent lives for all of our people. This will be the foundation of freedom, justice and peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia and, moreover, around the world. I hope that human rights, democracy, peace and prosperity materialize together on the Korean Peninsula. Our endeavors will become a hope for the entire world.

Distinguished guests from home and abroad, Looking around this Cathedral, the architecture is truly beautiful. Western and traditional Korean styles mingle in harmony. The essence of each other’s style has been preserved and respected, creating a space full of peace. The process of construction is also remarkable. Funds were raised little by little to augment insufficient finances while the Cathedral was built over 87 years.

I believe that human rights are somewhat akin to this. Differences do not result in discriminations but are accepted with respect and exist with each other to create a harmony and balance. It means never giving up despite any ordeal and completing changes in silence.

In addition, we should never forget the historic lesson that barbaric history can repeat itself when human rights are ignored.

I extend my gratitude and words of encouragement to everyone at the National Human Rights Commission for making this event possible today, fully demonstrating the history and significance of “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

While placing a top priority on the value of human rights and never backing down, I will move forward by taking one step at a time. I hope that the people will join us on the path toward human rights and peace. Thank you.

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SELECTED SPEECHES President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in

2019

35.

JANUARY 02, 2019

REMARKS AT NEW YEAR’S GATHERING WITH BUSINESS AND SOCIAL LEADERS

Fellow Koreans, We have rung in the New Year amid unusually cold weather. There is a proverb that says, “Northerly winds blowing in the last months of the year bring a rich harvest.” The frigid weather seems to herald a bountiful harvest this year. Amidst this freezing cold, I wish all of your families and businesses a great harvest throughout 2019.

Today, I extend New Year’s greetings to the people here at the Korea Federation of SMEs. We are joined by representatives from all walks of life and many elders, including five heads of constitutional organizations. Also joining us as special guests are a host of business leaders.

Just a little earlier, we watched video greetings from a selection of extraordinary citizens who made 2018 shine. It reminds me once again that both the driving force for change and the strength to achieve transformation rest within the people. What has enabled us to make it this far is a sense of empathy with others and the strength of a mature culture. I am truly grateful to all the people.

Fellow citizens and distinguished guests, We all dream of a country where happiness prevails here and now.

In their lifetime, our mothers and fathers have lived frugally for a better tomorrow. They have been engrossed in nothing but work – regarding their children’s success as worth all of their sacrifices. They have refrained from spending much on themselves, keeping their children in mind. They have sometimes struggled, asking themselves why their lives could not get better despite the national economy improving and businesses growing.

In the winter two years ago, the candlelight rallies held in city squares across the nation aspired to create a just, equitable nation. The people wanted to pull

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back gains made outside the law and through unfair privileges. They declared that equal opportunities and just results should be the norm. Sons and daughters who grew up observing their mothers and fathers’ lives wished that they and their parents could enjoy happiness here and now together.

Last year, we achieved US$600 billion in exports for the first time in history and ushered in an era of US$30,000 in per capita income. Korea became the seventh nation to accomplish this feat among countries with a population of more than 50 million, following the United States, Germany, Japan and a few others. Korea is the only country that has grown into such an economic powerhouse among the countries that gained independence after the Second World War. We fully deserve to take pride in this success.

However, we now face a critical challenge. With the economic growth rate steadily decreasing during each previous administration, low growth has now become the norm. The past economic model of catching up with advanced economies has reached its limit. Even though we have become better off, we are still far from prospering together. Yet another task lying ahead is to achieve growth in an export-driven economy in a way that establishes equilibrium between exports and domestic demand. What we need is value-creating innovation and a new industrial policy that will overcome the structural limits of our economy.

We are well aware of the fact that an economy can ensure sustainable development and happiness here and now when it sets the pace by creating new values, rather than just following the trajectory of advanced countries, and when it guarantees equitable enjoyment of the benefits of growth rather than aggravating inequality and the socio-economic divide.

However, it requires transforming the fundamentals and primary framework of our economic policies. Undoubtedly, this takes time and can lead to controversy. It is natural to feel uneasy as this path has never been taken before. As the Government was unable to foresee everything precisely, there might have been some areas that have gone unattended. Also scathing voices now complain about the need to put off prosperity until tomorrow yet again. Still, we must not veer from this path of economic reform under any circumstances.

The year 2018 was a period of setting policy directions and forging the institutional framework needed to bring about major economic and social changes. This year, my Administration will maximize its efforts to ensure that the people during their everyday lives can unquestionably appreciate the

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benefits from our policies. We will strive to make this the first year of building a society where the lives of the people improve evenly and everyone prospers together by overcoming inequality.

Yet again, I take to heart the fact that “fairness” and “job opportunities” are at the center of this entire process.

During the candlelight vigils, participants exercised patience until more and more came to join – thereby changing the world via a mature culture. I believe we must apply the same method when changing our economy.

We will endure until more and more people come to understand our principles. Even though it may take longer than expected, we will always respect and abide by democratic procedures. We will give the people full explanations of the difficulties that we face, and we will seek concessions and compromises from relevant parties.

By doing so, we will make sure that all are happy here and now.

My fellow Koreans and distinguished guests, Innovation has to be pursued together. Innovation is needed across all industries. The method has to be innovative as well. Innovations are needed to reinvigorate economic dynamism and find a new breakthrough to overcome low growth.

We are a creative and innovative people. This is well evidenced by the remarkable speed of our economic growth, technological achievements in the fields of information and communication and the hallyu fever spreading across the globe. As the country emerged as one of the dozen or so largest economic powerhouses in just half a century, creativity and innovation can place us at the forefront in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Government will stand by businesses that embrace innovation. To spark innovation in manufacturing, the Government will push construction of 30,000 smart factories as planned. It will build a model smart industrial complex and smart city models. Funds earmarked for research and development this year have surpassed 20 trillion won for the first time.

Intelligent informatization, digitalization and the platform economy are the key elements in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The money allocated for innovative growth will be intensively channeled into their underlying sectors, including data, artificial intelligence, the hydrogen

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economy, smart factories and self-driving cars. By ensuring that science and technology spawn new businesses and innovative growth, the Government will be at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and create new job opportunities.

Efforts will also be directed toward creating a favorable environment for corporate investment. In the end, economic development and new jobs come from corporate investment. No business can grow without constant technological innovation and investment. The Government will provide support so that businesses can actively invest. A regulatory sandbox will be implemented in earnest to spur new industries.

We should all embrace the value of sharing. The quality of life should be enhanced by securing the social safety net, and everyone should prosper together.

Essential supports for day-to-day living related to incomes, medical services, housing and childcare have been increased. These include the basic pension, child benefits and the earned income tax credit. Comprehensive measures to support the self-employed have been prepared. A decrease in the credit card processing fees will be sought earnestly, and active support will be directed toward helping stabilize self-employed businesses by protecting commercial leaseholders’ rights and designating the fields best suited for small retail business owners to prevent large companies from entering those markets.

Starting with the public sector, non-regular workers will be promptly given the status of regular workers to allow them to work in a stable manner. At the same time, in particular, workers in jobs connected to safety or that involve hazardous tasks will be actively granted similar status.

We need to communicate with each other and relate to one another. Our lives are interconnected. Only when my neighbor succeeds can I as well.

It is an administration’s role to set the direction of policies. Assistance from the National Assembly is needed to transform policies into a system with unwavering laws. Businesses, workers, and local and central governments should put their heads together to reach a grand social compromise. We cannot take a step forward without dialogues, compromises, concessions and the sharing of pain.

The job creation initiative now underway in Gwangju will become a barometer to determine whether our society can create a mutually beneficial

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employment model through a grand social compromise. This is in no way just an issue limited to Gwangju and surrounding areas. It will generate hope for new jobs. I ask all the people to unite their strengths and minds.

Fellow citizens, Last year, overwhelmed by emotions, I walked the path of peace opened up by the people. Last year, we got a taste of how peace can foster many hopes.

However, the peace we are enjoying now still remains temporary. I will do my utmost so that the flow of peace becomes a large irreversible wave in the New Year.

When complete denuclearization is achieved and permanent peace is established on the Korean Peninsula, an era when peace drives prosperity on the Peninsula will be ushered in. A new economic initiative on the Korean Peninsula will be realized; to the north, railroads will be connected to reach Russia and Europe; and to the south, a community of peace and prosperity will be created together with ASEAN and India. I will usher in, without fail, an era when peace brings great strength to our economy.

This country has come so far thanks to the strength of the common people.

The nation has a duty to make sure that the ordinary people do not lose hope.

We will build a nation that gives the people more hope and a government that can empower them. We will make the here and now full of happiness. We can and will do it without fail.

Thank you.

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36.

JANUARY 10, 2019

OPENING REMARKS AT NEW YEAR PRESS CONFERENCE

Fellow Koreans, Around this time last year, I visited the Jincheon National Training Center to pray for the success of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.

From the Opening Ceremony until the Closing Ceremony of the PyeongChang Games, Gangwon-do Province’s harsh cold weather was what kept the Government in suspense. However, that freezing cold helped bring the entire world as well as South and North Korea together in harmony, making it possible for the peace Olympics to succeed.

There is a saying, “Winter should be as cold as it has to be.” Sufficiently cold winter weather keeps pests and diseases from harming crops and produces a rich harvest of barley. Anthropologists say an ice age spurred the birth of humanity. In sharing each other’s warmth, people began to sense a desperate need to band together.

We rung in the New Year after many changes brought forth over the previous year thanks to people power. I am deeply grateful to all Koreans and once again extend New Year’s greetings.

Fellow citizens, Last year, Korea reached the US$600 billion mark in exports for the first time in history. We ushered in an era of US$30,000 per capita income. Korea became the 6th largest exporter and the 7th country to join the 30-50 club of economic powerhouses with a population of over 50 million and per capita income exceeding US$30,000. Our economic growth rate has continued to stay at the highest level among the advanced economies. At least in terms of the national economy, we have achieved tremendous development, rising above colonial rule, war, poverty and dictatorship.

Despite the astounding growth of the national economy – hailed by the

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world as a miracle – there are still many people who find life difficult. That is because the benefits of the economic growth that we accomplished together have been concentrated in the hands of a small number of the upper class and conglomerates, not equitably distributed among all the people.

Over the long haul, the percentage of corporate income in the GDP has steadily increased more than the economic growth rate, while that of household income has continued to decline. The trickle-down effect has long ago ended.

Also, increasing exports stopped bringing about a rise in employment long ago. Korea has inadvertently grown into one of the countries with the worst case of wealth polarization and economic inequality in the world.

Economic inequality, also dubbed the 1% versus 99% society or a winnertake-all economy, is not a problem unique to us. It is a common challenge facing the entire world. All countries have finally come to understand the fact that sustainable growth is impossible without resolving this problem.

Consequently, such international organizations as the OECD and IMF as well as major countries are putting forth “inclusive growth” as a solution.

The people-centered economy and innovative, inclusive nation being pursued by my Administration are precisely in line with such thinking. Our goal is to create an economy in which all prosper together on the basis of a fair economy with a level playing field where innovative growth and income-driven growth enable sustainable development. It is all about creating a society where the proverbial dragon can rise from a creek to deliver a promising future. Over the past year, this policy has enabled us to help increase real household income across the board and decrease living costs for such essentials as healthcare, education and telecommunications. Moreover, the pursuit of innovative growth and a fair economy has led to many achievements.

Nonetheless, jobs reports, more than anything else, have not lived up to quantifiable expectations. Self-employed business owners are complaining about difficulties. Conventional flagship manufacturing continues to falter.

An improvement in the redistribution of income cannot be felt. Evolving industrial structures and consumption behavior characterized by automation, unmanned systems and online shopping have transformed the job market, but we have not responded appropriately. Fear of the future has swelled, and public confidence in the Government’s economic policy has declined.

My Administration is taking this economic situation very seriously. However, I want to emphasize that the hardships we are suffering now are even stronger proof of the need for the people-centered economy. An economic policy

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shift can be truly frightening. It will take time and may generate controversy.

However, it is the path that we must take. We will achieve the goal of an innovative, inclusive nation by all means while sufficiently making up for any shortcomings.

Fellow Koreans, This year’s objective is to make the people clearly see signs in their own lives that the Government’s economic policy is heading in the right direction. To that end, tangible outcomes must be produced. This will be a year when SMEs and conglomerates can grow together, microbusiness owners and the selfemployed can grow with the people and provincial regions can grow on their specific strengths.

What is needed to sustain growth is innovation. Nothing but innovation can make it possible to transform the fast-follower model economy into a pace-setting economy and to create an economy that leads new markets by generating added value. Innovation will help revive existing industries and foster new industries that will become new growth engines. The Government

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has selected strategic fields for innovative growth and forged an ecosystem for innovative startups. Last year, an all-time high of 3.4 trillion won was invested in business ventures, and the number of newly-established corporations exceeded 100,000, the largest ever.

The penetration of electric and hydrogen vehicles has risen, laying the groundwork for future growth engines. Prior to 2017, Koreans were driving 25,000 electric vehicles in total, but in last year alone 32,000 new cars were added. The number of hydrogen cars has also soared to 889 from 177. The By 2022, government is planning on increasing the number of electric and hydrogen cars to 430,000 and 67,000, respectively. Some 2,000 hydrogen buses will run on the roads. This will greatly help reduce the number of diesel vehicles and the level of fine dust.

Beginning this year, investments in strategic, innovative industries will be made in earnest. A total budget of 1.5 trillion won will be provided for the three major fundamental fields of data, artificial intelligence and the hydrogen economy. An additional 3.6 trillion won in total will be injected into eight pace-setting projects for innovative growth, including smart factories, smart cities, self-driving cars and drones. The government budget earmarked for research and development surpassed 20 trillion won for the first time in history. Science and technology, ranging from original technologies to commercialized technologies, will be fused with innovation to produce added value.

Innovation will be blended into such traditional flagship manufacturing as the automobile, shipbuilding and petrochemical industries as well. The innovative strategy for manufacturing unveiled last year will be going into full gear. The number of smart factories was only about 300 by 2014, but it will be drastically raised to 30,000 by 2022, including this year’s 4,000. The number of smart industrial complexes will also be gradually increased from the two this year up to 10 in total by 2022.

Deregulation is a must when it comes to increasing corporate investment and identifying new industries and services.

An amendment to the special act on internet-only banks has made it easier for IT businesses to set up a virtual bank. The enactment of a special act on financial innovation support will serve as a foundation for developing various innovative financial services.

The implementation of a Korean regulatory sandbox system will enable the

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speedy verification of marketability for new technologies and products and also facilitate their launch. Pan-government support will be rendered to ensure that large-scale business investment projects can be carried out as early as possible. Enhanced assistance will be particularly channeled into investments in new growth industries.

Only when local areas’ “growth plates” expand will the national economy be revitalized. For regions enduring economic hardships, due to the restructuring of their key industries for instance, my Administration will advance 14 projects to boost their vitality.

Public infrastructure projects that are essential for balanced national development will be exempted from preliminary feasibility surveys. Instead, strict selection standards and consultations with local governments will enable such construction to begin promptly.

A total of 8.6 trillion won will be invested into building infrastructure that is closely linked to everyday neighborhood activities, such as libraries and gyms, thereby swiftly improving living conditions there. In addition, 170 old city centers will be reborn through an urban regeneration new deal. Living conditions in farming and fishing communities will be significantly improved through smart farms and new deal projects, respectively.

My fellow Koreans, The foreign exchange crisis of 1997 left deep scars on our society. That economic crisis that unexpectedly swooped down upon us without any social safety net in place caused anxiety to spread throughout the population.

Against this backdrop, all Koreans joined forces, overcame the crisis and achieved economic growth again but failed to halt the deepening job instability and widening socio-economic divides.

Sustainable growth is possible only when all prosper together – this is not just simple rhetoric. We have all experienced it time and again with economic growth rates decreasing under every single administration over the past 20 years.

To expand exports and domestic demand, the two main wheels of the economy, an inclusive growth aimed at jointly sharing their benefits is indispensable. Koreans are entitled to the happiness befitting an era of annual per capita income of US$30,000. This is what an inclusive country is all about.

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First, my Administration will further strengthen the social safety net and employment safety net. Focus will be placed simultaneously on increasing job opportunities and improving the quality of employment. Jobs are the very starting point of peoples’ lives. The Government will strive to ensure that the social safety net runs in conjunction with the employment safety net.

This year, the Earned Income Tax Credit, an incentive for low-income working families, has more than tripled, and the number of people eligible for the incentive has also more than doubled. As a result, a total of 4.9 trillion won will be disbursed to 3.34 million households. My Administration will also build a Korean unemployment assistance system to provide support for living expenses during job searches or re-employment programs.

As the number of permanent employees increased last year, the number of employment insurance subscribers soared by 470,000. It is truly welcome news as it means that the number of workers who are now protected by the social safety net has increased accordingly. In the days to come, employment insurance will be expanded to cover self-employed contract workers and artists, who have been left in employment insurance blind spots. As part of the efforts to ease the hardship facing society’s vulnerable, the monthly basic pension and the pension for those with disabilities were increased, and the monthly child benefit was introduced last year. This year, the basic pension and the pension for those with disabilities will rise to 300,000 won – with lowincome families being the first to benefit.

Last year saw a groundbreaking expansion of health insurance coverage, and a lot of people are already feeling the actual effects of lowered medical costs.

This year, a renal ultrasonography and an MRI of the head and abdominal area will be covered by health insurance. Coverage for dental care and traditional Korean medicine will also be expanded. My Administration will strive to ease anxiety and ensure that health insurance alone suffices when receiving medical treatment.

Burdens on the shoulders of families with relatives suffering from dementia were halved last year. This year, the number of nursing homes will be increased to better take care of those patients. Three years later in 2022, the Government plans to make sure that one out of every four senior citizens is eligible for medical service house calls.

Second, bolder investments will be made in children. Starting this New Year, the monthly child benefit will be disbursed to every family with a young child.

The limit on the age of the children targeted will also be raised from 5 to 6.

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Nationally and locally funded kindergartens are being expanded faster than planned. Last year an additional 500 classes opened, which surpassed the target number. This year, a total of 1,080 new classes, which is about twice that of last year’s expansion, will be added.

In 2017, a total of 393 nationally and locally sponsored daycare centers were established, and during last year, 574 new centers were set up, far exceeding the target of 450. This year 685 daycare centers will be added, including those at workplaces. Starting from September this year, it will become mandatory to establish a daycare center at an apartment complex with more than 500 households. The Government initially pledged to ensure that four out of every ten children will be able to attend nationally or locally funded daycare centers and kindergartens by 2022, but we will make that happen a year earlier. The transparency of private kindergartens has to be increased as well. I ask the National Assembly to pass the three kindergarten-related bills at the earliest date possible.

The number of children to be covered by extended after-school daycare programs will markedly increase to 530,000 by 2022 from 360,000 last year.

Eight out of every ten elementary school students from double-income households will be able to use state-assisted daycare centers.

Third, we will deal with safety issues as an overriding national task. As part of the efforts to prevent deaths from industrial accidents, the Government will put into practice relevant countermeasures with a sense of responsibility and determination. Not a single life was lost from a construction crane accident last year thanks to preventative measures. My Administration will halve the number of deaths from industrial accidents by 2022. We will also make concerted efforts to ensure that the recently passed National Assembly act to prevent the outsourcing of hazardous jobs is enforced as intended.

Last year, we saw remarkable achievements in preventing the spread of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and infectious diseases in livestock. Taken with the case of effective accident prevention in regard to construction cranes, this serves as a reminder of the fact that our endeavors combined with keen awareness bring about corresponding achievements.

At the end of last year, however, the people were unnerved by a series of accidents that were closely related to everyday life, including the derailment of a KTX train, the fire at a KT Corp. building, the rupture of a hot water pipeline and a deadly accident in a pension in Gangneung. All these incidents came together to alert the Government to the fact that many more safety-

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related areas requiring attention still remain.

Fourth, national competitiveness will be measured by how many skilled innovators we nurture. Before the end of my term in office, we will foster 45,000 master’s and PhD degree holders in pace-setting innovative growth areas as well as 40,000 skilled innovators in science and technology as well as information and communication technology. A new university major specializing in artificial intelligence will be established, and relevant assistance will be provided to promote the growth of top-notch software engineers through an academy for innovation. Vocational training for those areas related to new technologies will be greatly expanded, thereby helping job seekers land a job while facilitating business and market growth. The Government will strive to provide the most-needed vocational training at every stage: attending school, seeking employment, working for a company and reentering the job market.

Concerning the plan for implementing social policies for an inclusive nation that guarantee daycare, education, work, leisure, life after retirement and other basic living requirements, I will make a report separately as early as possible.

Fifth, I will make it clear that small business owners, the self-employed and farmers are the basis of the national economy. Traditional markets and small businesses in neighborhoods will be protected and assisted so that they can thrive. Countermeasures will be enhanced to help the small business owners and self-employed suffering from minimum wage hikes.

The farm gate price of rice during last year’s harvest rose sharply for the first time in years, to 193,000 won per 80 kg sack. This may have helped raise the income of farming households. This year, focus will be placed on reforming the rice subsidy system designed to promote the public good, and smart agricultural administration policy will be implemented in a way that puts farmers first.

The fisheries subsidy will be raised by 50,000 won this year, raising the total that a fishery household can receive to 650,000 won. Subsidized vehicle fares for ferry transport will be significantly expanded for residents living on islands, and the Government will subsidize the transportation of necessities beginning in June next year.

Sixth, I will make sure that each and every one of the people can take pride in our culture and enjoy related achievements. I will ensure that our culture will pave the way for future industries. People around the world are enthralled

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with Hallyu, such as the K-pop boy band BTS and Korean TV dramas. This proves our culture’s potential. I will help create an environment in which everyone competes fairly and creators are treated reasonably so that a second BTS and a third Hallyu can emerge.

This year, 1 trillion won will be invested to build culture-related infrastructure for daily life. Subsidies for low-income households will be raised so that they can use a special debit card to pay for diverse cultural activities. A total of 30 sports facilities for people with disabilities will be built, and another subsidized debit card will be given to 5,000 low-income individuals with disabilities to help them take sports-related classes.

Regardless of whether the policy scope or related budget is large or small, I will help build the foundation for an inclusive nation and implement related policies.

Fellow Koreans, An equitable and just society is a calling that my Administration, which was brought in by the candlelight demonstrations, cannot forget even for a moment.

As soon as it was launched, my Administration set about forcefully eradicating deep-rooted evil perpetrated by those in authority. Each ministry and agency, including prosecutors, the police, the National Intelligence Service and the National Tax Service, started self-driven reforms, voluntarily uncovering past wrongdoings and correcting them. There is not even one case to date of these law enforcement institutions greatly disappointing the people as they had in the past. My Administration will never tolerate regressing back to the errors of the past, having learned a lesson from what happened with the previous Administration.

Now, my Administration will ceaselessly continue to eradicate deep-rooted evil in everyday life so that ordinary people do not have to experience the frustration caused by a wall of injustice hindering normal activities. I will help swiftly push reforms that root out deceit and illegalities such as embezzlement by kindergarten owners, recruitment-related irregularities, the culture of abusing one’s power and tax evasion. I will fight unfairness without compromise until the people can sense a transformation in our society.

I now intend to conclude the reform of law enforcement institutions through legislation. I ask for the National Assembly’s cooperation with passing

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related bills so that the reforms are not just dependent on the good faith of an administration. These bills are related to the National Intelligence Service Act, the creation of an agency responsible for the investigation of crimes committed by high-ranking officials and the adjustment of the investigative authority between prosecutors and the police. At the last meeting of the standing state affairs consultative body comprising the ruling and opposition parties and the Government, the participants agreed to rectify unfairness and create the institutional framework for a fair economy and promised to make endeavors to amend related laws, including the Commercial Act. I will strive to further invigorate this standing body to speed up the legislation of bills related to a fair economy.

Fellow Koreans, In the past year, the people opened up a path toward peace. We have become a main player on issues regarding the Korean Peninsula. We have overcome power politics and taken the lead in forging our own destiny. We have experienced and confirmed before our own eyes that our efforts can bring us peace. The path toward peace on the Korean Peninsula still continues to expand even at this moment, and it will speed up even more this year.

It was very comforting to hear that the remains of 13 soldiers killed during the Korean War were found during the operation to remove land mines on Arrowhead Hill. Along with the remains, we could regain the spirit of reconciliation that has laid buried in our battlegrounds. When we initiate an operation to locate other remains in April, we will be able to fulfill the duty of the nation by excavating many more of the fallen.

The second North Korea-United States summit – to take place soon, and a reciprocal visit to Seoul by Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea will be other turning points that will firmly solidify peace on the Korean Peninsula.

We will not loosen our guard until the promise to denuclearize the Peninsula is kept and peace is fully institutionalized.

Peace can drive economic growth. The desire to prosper lies in the people of both South and North Korea. The connection of railroads and roads between the two Koreas will help find new breakthroughs for our economy.

The Gaeseong Industrial Complex and tourism in Geumgangsan Mountain were beneficial to both South and North Korea. We welcome North Korea’s intention to resume their operation without conditions or compensation.

As such, the prerequisites for the two Koreas resuming operation of the

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Complex and Geumgangsan tourism have essentially been met already. My Administration will cooperate with the international community, including the United States, to resolve the remaining issues such as international sanctions as soon as possible. Peace on the Korean Peninsula is expanding northward and southward. We will move forward to create economic and security communities in Northeast Asia through the New Northern Policy. We will diversify our trading destinations through the New Southern Policy and create a people-centered community of peace and prosperity with countries in those regions.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. In the past century, we have built an independent democratic republic based on popular sovereignty by breaking free of colonial rule and dictatorship. We are now dreaming of building a peaceful, prosperous and powerful country and overcoming division. We are now passing the last crucial moment of realizing our dream.

Before long, permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and an innovative, inclusive nation where everyone prospers will arrive before us.

Kim Gu, one of our independence leaders, said in his 1947 statement titled My Wish: “The only thing I desire to have wholeheartedly is the power of sophisticated culture. The power of culture makes ourselves happy and, moreover, brings happiness to others.�

The next century of the Republic of Korea demands a new spirit and new culture from us. As we safeguarded democracy through the most peaceful means by holding candlelight protests and brought each other happiness with the utmost maturity, I hope that a culture of shared prosperity will blossom through concessions, compromises and agreements.

We have come so far without losing sight of our common goal. We have achieved much in the cold. We will accomplish it all: peace, innovative growth and an inclusive nation as well.

Thank you.

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37.

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

REMARKS AT STRATEGY MEETING ON REFORMING NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, PROSECUTION SERVICE AND POLICE

Ladies and gentlemen, It is a pleasure to meet you. The people gathered here are very much appreciated. We have gathered today to examine the results of reform efforts at the state law enforcement agencies and to discuss what tasks remain to be done. All government authority must be used in the interest of the people.

This is a solemn mandate given by the people that must never be forgotten for even an instant.

The people’s mandate is clear: They want a nation that does not permit special privileges and deceit, and they want a society that absolutely does not allow any unfairness or the slightest irregularities in everyday life. Since the inauguration of my Administration, reform committees have been established inside the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Korea Prosecution Service (KPS) and Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) with considerable results having been achieved.

The NIS has disbanded all units related to gathering domestic security intelligence, thus completely halting all of its political interference. The establishment of compliance officers and human rights protection officers has greatly raised the level of human rights protection.

The Ministry of Justice has overhauled personnel management systems for prosecutors and has taken measures to curb the practice of primarily prosecutors being appointed to important MOJ posts and to minimize their temporary dispatch to vacancies in other government organizations.

The KPS has reduced the direct involvement of prosecutors in investigations and has formed a specific department to protect human rights. At the same time, transparency and objectivity have been raised in the exercise of prosecutorial power.

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The KNPA has been working hard to be reborn as a police force for the public: The freedom to assemble and demonstrate as well as the human rights of suspects under investigation have been broadly expanded.

As a result, since my Administration was inaugurated, not a single incidence of abuse of power or illicit collusion– which had been targets of harsh criticism in the past – has occurred at the NIS, KPS or NPA. Furthermore, the international community came to recognize the competency of the NIS, once it eliminated its political involvement and started focusing solely on gathering intelligence on North Korea and overseas issues. The NIS now stands at the forefront in supporting the government efforts toward peace.

The KPS and KNPA will also be appropriately assessed by the extent of their reforms.

In addition, each committee has laid the foundation for these reforms as the NIS, Justice Ministry, KPS, Ministry of the Interior and Safety and KNPA have pooled their strengths to achieve significant results while codifying reforms.

These include NIS reform legislation, new legislation to establish an agency to investigate crimes committed by senior government officials, legislation on coordinating the investigative authority of the KPS and police, and a bill to establish a system for autonomous local police. I commend and sincerely thank everyone involved for their hard work.

However, the expectations of the Korean public are very high. Reforms that satisfy the public have yet to be made. Government authority must carry good intentions. When government authority truly protects public safety and human rights, the people will all welcome stronger governmental authority.

The NIS, KPS, and KNPA must renew their resolve to be reborn as agencies that work solely for the people. They must devote themselves entirely to using the authority granted to them by the people and fulfilling their duties in order to ensure that society is as fair and safe as it is free and just.

This year marks special anniversaries for our people. One hundred years ago, our forbearers laid down the principles and foundation for a country of justice and a “properly functioning nation” when they launched the March First Independence Movement and established the Provisional Republic of Korea Government. This is our proud history – the restoration and proper establishment of the Republic of Korea by the people. Article 1 of the Constitutional Charter, promulgated on April 11, 1919, states: “The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic.” The Constitutional Charter of the Provisional Government was the world’s first national constitution to include the phrase “democratic republic.”

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A century ago, our forbearers put their lives on the line to overthrow law enforcement agencies that lorded over the people and served the interests of government authorities. Prosecutors and police during the Japanese colonial period were in agencies that supported the coercive colonial rule of the Japanese Empire. The prosecutors, who were appointed by the GovernorGeneral of Korea, were required to obey the orders of their superiors, and the Governor-General had the highest command authority. The police suppressed righteous army fighters and independence forces, cracked down on independence activists, and even monitored and controlled the people’s thoughts. As the phrase “sword-toting patrolmen” suggests, the public beheld the police in terror, for they held the power over life and death in their hands.

After liberation, efforts to reform the system and replace personnel failed because the police incorporated the same officers who had served during the colonial period. During the colonial period, executive, legislative and judicial powers had been concentrated in the Governor-General of Korea to support the repressive Japanese Empire. By contrast, Ahn Chang-ho, a leader in the Provisional Republic of Korea Government, said in 1920, “The President or Prime Minister is to be a servant for all the people.” We must always remind ourselves of the fact that the people are the only sovereigns in the Republic of Korea and that the Government and public institutions, Cheong Wa Dae included, and all public officials exist solely for the people.

We must make 2019 the first year in which we completely cast off the shadow of law enforcement agencies left over from the Japanese colonial period.

Reform of the NIS, KPS and KNPA is not an issue of political motivation or benefit for the administration in power. It is a task of the times, to properly uphold the values of a democratic republic.

The codification and institutionalization of reform are what I wish to stress above all else today. We must, through legislation, permanently put into play the principle of checks and balances among our law enforcement agencies.

The president, Cheong Wa Dae and government ministries, too, will be subject to these agencies’ monitoring and checks. I am also looking forward to the National Assembly’s responding to public expectations.

I earnestly call on you to adopt a broad point of view so that the NIS reform bill, the bill to establish a new agency to investigate crimes committed by senior government officials, the bill to coordinate the investigative authority of the KPS and police, and the bill to establish a system for autonomous local police are all passed before the end of this year. I ask that you muster the strength for legislation to ensure that – even after a change in administration –

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the stature and duties of the NIS, KPS and KNPA that rest solely on protecting the country and the people are not altered.

Judiciary reform, too, is a task that can be put off no longer. The judiciary is the last wall of defense for the people, and so the public is keenly interested in its reform. I urge you to engage in serious discussions on the matter. We cannot wait for the legislative process alone. I call on you to continue to execute in a consistent manner the tasks that can be carried out within the Executive Branch.

The people are the driving force behind the efforts to reform law enforcement agencies, and the people will also assess the results. Reform must go forward, unabated, together with the people as well as buoyed by the strength of the people, until it reaches the level of the people’s expectations. Let us all go forward tirelessly together until law enforcement agencies become the people’s most reliable partners on the way to our becoming “a properly functioning nation” and a country of justice.

Thank you.

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38.

FEBRUARY 19, 2019

OPENING REMARKS AT PUBLIC PRESENTATION ON INCLUSIVE-NATION SOCIAL POLICIES

My Administration aims to create an innovative, inclusive nation. This means that we should achieve innovative growth in the face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution while simultaneously building an inclusive nation where all citizens prosper together. The Republic of Korea turning into an innovative, inclusive nation signifies that it will become a country where innovation can lead to shared growth and everyone can enjoy the benefits of growth through inclusiveness.

Without innovative growth, it is difficult to build an inclusive nation; without inclusiveness, there is no innovative growth. Both innovative growth and an inclusive nation are people-centered goals. In an inclusive nation, every single citizen’s capabilities are important. Only when people receive all the education they desire, have sufficient rest with family members and maintain a descent living can they develop their capabilities further. These capabilities will serve as a driving force for sustainable innovative growth in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

An inclusive nation is not a country where the Government grants favors to the people or the better-off do likewise for the underprivileged. It is a country where everyone empowers one another and every single citizen and the state as a whole can achieve even more and enjoy even better benefits.

It is not long ago that policies began to reflect the idea that the state should protect the everyday lives of the people and that the people began to sense those policies’ impact. The Kim Dae-jung Administration first introduced the National Basic Living Security system. It enabled those in poverty to meet life’s minimum requirements. It was exactly 20 years ago. During this 20-year period, the awareness of the people has been raised even higher, and the country has made progress. We have come to understand that the guarantee of a minimum quality of life alone is unable to protect the dignity of humanity. The Republic of Korea’s national strength and financial capacity have also grown to an extent sufficient to provide support for more people to enjoy a higher quality of life.

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The objective of an inclusive nation being pursued by my Administration starts exactly at this point: People should be assured decent lives that go beyond basic living standards.

The inclusive-nation implementation plan unveiled today is designed to support the complete life cycle of all the people, ranging from childrearing and education to career and retirement. It targets every aspect of life, including health, safety, income, the environment and housing. A state where all citizens can live with dignity in every stage of their lives is the blueprint of an inclusive Republic of Korea.

Many citizens are already sensing the beginning of tremendous changes brought about by such policies as minimum wage hikes, the expansion of national health insurance coverage, a state system that will take care of dementia patients, increases in basic pension benefits and the adoption of child benefits.

If the plan announced today is carried out as scheduled by 2022, all Korean citizens will be able to enjoy decent lives regardless of their gender and age –

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from young children to the elderly, from workers to the self-employed and microbusiness owners – and regardless of any disabilities they may possess.

Let me explain how the lives of the people can be changed through the four social policy goals of an inclusive nation.

First, a robust social safety net will be created to enable each and every person to afford a decent living, and high quality social services will be provided.

The number of social service jobs will increase, and the quality of jobs will also improve. As a result, the virtuous cycle of a caring economy – where the people experience a rise in the level of safety and the quality of life – will be created.

Second, investments in people will not be spared. The sources of technological advancement and industrial development all originate with people. Everyone will be able to seek as much education as they want without worrying about expenses, to chase their dreams with no fear of failure and to enjoy a comfortable life in their later years. Challenges taken on and innovation achieved from this foundation will lead the Korean economy toward innovative growth.

Third, many more jobs of higher quality will be created. Korea will become a country where no one is excluded and everyone can work without suffering discrimination and prejudices and fearing a job loss. I will help create a country where people are guaranteed an education to adapt to a new era or a new job and can foster their own capabilities.

Fourth, sufficient rest allows people to work with more satisfaction and efficiency. To help people enjoy a higher quality of life, I will ensure that leisure can become part of our everyday lives. I will make sure that families can spend more time together while their children are growing up without sacrificing income. I will make certain that excessive work hours will be reduced and that the workplace and life will become more gratifying. I will help people enjoy cultural activities near their home without traveling a long distance.

The world is now paying close attention to the concept of an innovative, inclusive nation in a bid to solve the realities facing each country. Global issues such as conflicts arising from excessive polarization and economic inequality, overcoming discrimination and exclusion, economic divides between countries, and environmental problems are also of concern. Many international organizations, including the World Bank, the United States, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, are recommending that each country follow a

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path toward becoming an inclusive nation and are closely watching how Korea faces its challenges.

Changes are always terrifying. However, we – empty handed after colonization and the Korean War – have built the world’s 11th largest economic powerhouse in just around 70 years. We have achieved this feat while quickly responding to changes. Shifting from agriculture to light industry and from heavy and chemical industries to advanced information and communication technology, Korea has accomplished immense transformation that no other country has ever achieved and took a leap forward to become a developed state, the only post-World War II newly independent state to do so.

Having achieved success from scratch with our bear hands, we possess potential. We are people who are not afraid of changes but instead use them proactively. I am confident that when the potential and strength of our people are combined, we will be able to lead the process of transforming into an inclusive nation, and the inclusive nation we build will become an exemplary model for the world.

To this end, tasks remaining should be solved properly. More than anything else, legislation and budgetary support from the National Assembly are needed. My Administration will prepare mid-term fiscal plans in the first half of this year, and the ruling party, the Government and Cheong Wa Dae will closely consult with each other to prepare related bills and budget proposals. A happy life is a natural right that the people should be able to exercise. Since this is an undertaking to get us on a road toward everyone prospering together, I will elicit without fail bipartisan cooperation in the National Assembly.

An inclusive nation is a country we are all creating together. I hope that the Government and the people, and all of us, will stand by each other.

Thank you.

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39.

MARCH 01, 2019

ADDRESS ON 100th MARCH FIRST INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT DAY

Fellow Koreans and compatriots abroad, One hundred years ago today, we were united as one.

At noon on March 1, students passed out the Declaration of Korean Independence. At two o’clock in the afternoon, the national representatives held a ceremony to declare Korea’s independence at Taehwagwan in Seoul, and some 5,000 people read the Declaration aloud together at Tapgol Park.

The protagonists of the March First Independence Movement were ordinary people such as laborers, farmers, women, soldiers, rickshaw pullers, gisaeng, butchers, serfs, street merchants, students and monks. These people also participated in a nationwide campaign to repay the national debt to Japan by quitting smoking to save, donating ornamental hairpins and rings made of gold and silver, and even selling locks of hair.

On that day, we were reborn as citizens of a republic; we were no longer subjects of a dynasty or a colony of Imperial Japan. The great journey toward a democratic republic began at that time looking beyond independence and liberation.

One hundred years ago today, there was no South and North Korea. From Seoul and Pyeongyang to Jinnampo, Anju, Seoncheon, Uiju and Wonsan, loud chants of manse erupted on the same day, and these calls for independence spread like a wildfire to every corner of the country.

For two months from March 1, manse protests took place in 211 out of the total 220 cities and counties across the country regardless of the region – whether they belonged to what is now a part of South or North Korea. The chorus of people shouting manse continued into May. Just over two million people, about 10 percent of the total living on the Korean Peninsula at the time, joined the manse demonstrations. Some 7,500 Koreans were murdered

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with 16,000 injured. The number of people arrested and detained reached as many as 46,000.

The most horrible tragedy occurred in Maengsan, Pyeongannam-do Province.

On March 10, 54 local residents descended on a military police outpost to call for the release of detained teachers; they were massacred inside the building.

Another act of brutality followed in Jeam-ri of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

A total of 29 villagers, with even children among them, were massacred after they were locked in a church that was later set on fire.

In contrast, however, not a single Japanese civilian was killed due to attacks by Koreans.

We Koreans were also united as one in Yongjeong, China, across the border in what was North Gando; in Vladivostok in the Maritime Province of the Russian Far East; in Hawaii; and in Philadelphia. Anyone and everyone who felt a part of the Korean nation organized and took part in a rally. We all together aspired to independence and dreamed of popular sovereignty.

Those who harbored the chants of the March First Independence Movement in their hearts began to realize that common people like themselves were the

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main drivers of the independence movement and the rightful owners of the country. That awareness prompted the participation of ever more people and empowered them to shout their chants every single day. The first fruition was the Provisional Republic of Korea Government, the root of a democratic republic.

The Provisional Government stipulated “a democratic republic” in Article 1 of its Charter, upholding the spirit of the March First Independence Movement.

It was the first case in world history of a democratic republic expressly set forth in a constitution.

Fellow Koreans, Wiping out the vestiges of pro-Japanese collaborators is a long-overdue undertaking. Only when we contemplate past wrongdoings can we move toward the future together. The task of setting history right is what is needed to help our future generations stand tall. Firmly upholding the national spirit is the state’s responsibility and duty.

What we intend is neither to instigate divisiveness by reopening old wounds now nor to create issues for diplomatic conflicts with a neighboring country.

Neither of these is desirable. Wiping out the vestiges of pro-Japanese collaborators, just as with diplomacy, should be done in a forward-looking manner. Shedding these vestiges is all about reaffirming the most basic values: Acts of pro-Japanese collaborators are what should be repented, and the independence movement is what should be honored and respected. This simple truth is justice, and upholding justice is the beginning of creating an equitable country.

The Japanese imperialists labeled independence armies as bandits and independence activists as thought offenders to justify their crackdowns. The word “Reds” originated from them. Terms like “thought offenders” and “Reds” were not applied exclusively to actual communists. These words were used to stigmatize all independence activists ranging from nationalists to anarchists.

Hostility between the left and the right and ideological stigmas were tools used

by Japanese imperialists to drive a wedge between us. Even after liberation, they served as tools to impede efforts to remove the vestiges of pro-Japanese collaborators. They were also used to brand the public as enemies when it came to massacres of civilians, spurious accusations of spying for North Korea and the student pro-democracy movement. Even in the liberated homeland, those who used to serve as police officers during Japanese colonial rule

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painted independence activists as Reds and tortured them. Many people were labeled Reds and thus sacrificed. Their relatives and bereaved families had to live ill-fated lives under social stigmas. Still now in our society, the word “Reds” is being used as a tool to vilify and attack political rivals, and a different kind of “Red Scare” is running rampant. These are typical vestiges left by proJapanese collaborators, which we should eliminate as soon as possible.

The 38th parallel drawn through our minds will disappear all together once the ideological hostility that caused internal rifts are removed. When we discard feelings of aversion and hatred toward others, our internal liberation will be completed. Only then will a new century be able to begin in a genuine sense.

My fellow Koreans, Over the past century, we have continued our journey toward a fair and just nation that envisions peace and freedom for all of humanity.

Overcoming colonial rule, war, poverty and dictatorship, we have accomplished miraculous economic growth. Through the April 19 Revolution, the BusanMasan Democratic Protests, the May 18 Democratization Movement, the June 10 Struggle and the candlelight revolution, ordinary people have striven by their own initiative and means to build a democratic republic for all of us. The spirit of the March First Independence Movement has been revived whenever our democracy faced a crisis.

This new 100 years is the century for completing a true country of the people.

It is a new 100 years to achieve unity through novel ideas and mindsets, without being pulled around by past ideologies.

We have courageously taken on the challenge of creating a peaceful Korean Peninsula. Undaunted by change, we have taken a new path. This new 100 years is the century to ensure that this challenge leads to success.

At the time when I announced the Korean Peninsula peace initiative in Berlin in July 2017, peace seemed too far away to grasp. When an opportunity arose, however, we stepped forward and took hold of peace. At last, a spring of peace arrived amid a cold snap in PyeongChang.

Last year, I met with Chairman Kim Jong Un for the first time at Panmunjeom and, by bringing the minds of 80 million Koreans together, we proclaimed to the whole world that an era of peace has dawned on the Korean Peninsula.

In September last year, I stood in front of 150,000 citizens of Pyeongyang at

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May Day Stadium. As President of the Republic of Korea, I promised them complete denuclearization, peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

On the Korean Peninsula, shots are no longer heard in the sky, on the land and across the seas. Unearthed along with the remains of 13 soldiers in the DMZ was our yearning for reconciliation. Railroads and roads between the two Koreas, which constitute national arteries, are now being reconnected. As fishing grounds surrounding our five northwestern border islands in the West Sea expanded, fishers’ hopes of catching a full haul have grown. Ideas once regarded as ethereal rainbows are now taking shape before our eyes one by one.

The DMZ will soon be returned to the people. One of the most well-preserved areas of nature on earth will prove to be a blessing for us. Whether we create a peace park there, house an international organization dealing with peace, or visit for eco-peace tourism, or make a pilgrimage there, the DMZ can be used jointly for the wellbeing of Koreans from both sides while preserving the natural environment. This will lead to South Koreans’ free and safe trips to North Korea. I will strive to make it possible for separated families and displaced people to visit their hometowns and meet with their relatives, going beyond mere reunions as before.

Permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula will be firmly settled only after surmounting many critical junctures. The second North Korea-United States summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, made meaningful progress, given the fact that the two leaders had conversations at length, enhanced mutual understanding and built more trust.

Importantly, they even discussed the issue of installing liaison offices, an important step toward the normalization of bilateral ties. I have high regard for President Trump, who has expressed his commitment to continuing talks and optimistic views.

I believe this is part of a process to reach a higher level of agreement. Now our role has become even more important. My Administration will closely communicate and cooperate with the United States and North Korea so as to help their talks reach a complete settlement by any means. The spring of peace that arrived on the Korean Peninsula was not ushered in by someone else. It is an outcome accomplished by ourselves – by the power of the people.

Unification need not be far away. Achieving a unity of mind while acknowledging differences and establishing mutually beneficial relations – this is exactly what

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unification is all about.

The coming 100 years will differ from the past in quality. We will push ahead with a bold transition toward a new Korean Peninsula regime and prepare for unification. The new Korean Peninsula regime refers to the order of the coming century in which we will take on a leading role. Working together with the people and with North Korea as well, we will create a new order of peace and cooperation.

The new Korean Peninsula regime is a new community of peace and cooperation that will end confrontations and conflicts. We will establish a permanent peace regime without fail on the basis of our unwavering will, close ROK-U.S. coordination, a settlement in North Korea-U.S. talks and support from the international community.

The new Korean Peninsula regime is a new community of economic cooperation that will be formed after the era of ideology and factionalism is put behind us. I will help usher in an era of a peace-driven economy on the Korean Peninsula. We will consult with the United States on ways to resume tourism in Geumgang Mountain and operation of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. South and North Korea agreed last year to cease all hostile military acts against each other and activate the Inter-Korean Joint Military Committee. When there is progress in denuclearization, a joint economic committee will be established between the two Koreas to produce economic achievements that benefit both South and North Korea. Progress in interKorean relations will lead to the normalization of North Korea’s relations with the United States and Japan, later expanding into a new order of peace and security in Northeast Asia.

On the basis of the spirit of the March First Independence Movement and national unity, I will strive to foster this new Korean Peninsula regime. I urge all of you to pool our strength.

Peace on the Korean Peninsula will serve as a new driving force for economic growth, which will not only impact both Koreas but also encompass Northeast Asia, ASEAN and Eurasia.

A century ago, peoples and countries in Asia that were colonized or on the brink of colonization provided unreserved support for the March First Independence Movement. Chen Duxiu, a Beijing University professor who led the New Culture Movement, said that Joseon’s independence movement was magnificent, heroic and, at the same time, articulate: It ushered in a new

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era in the world history of revolution by only employing the will of the people without the use of force.

Asia is the place where ancient civilizations first began to flourish and where various civilizations have existed together. I will help peace on the Korean Peninsula contribute to prosperity in Asia. Sharing Asian values that seek to promote mutual growth, I will join in efforts to build a global order of peace and prosperity.

Completion of the railroads running the length of the Korean Peninsula will expedite the formation of the East Asian Railroad Community, which I proposed on Liberation Day last year. This will develop into an energy community and an economic community, solidifying a multilateral peace and security framework that encompasses the United States.

By hosting the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit and the inaugural Korea-Mekong summit, we will endeavor to build a peoplecentered community of peace and prosperity along with the members of ASEAN. Cooperation with Japan will also be strengthened for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Declaration of Korean Independence clearly stated that the March First Independence Movement was not driven by a spirit of enmity but was intended to promote the harmonious co-existence of all humankind.

It also clarified that the Movement was aiming for peace in East Asia and the world. The Declaration read: “To boldly right old wrongs, opening a new relationship based on true mutual understating, is certainly the best way for both countries to avert disaster and foster amity.” This is our spirit that is still valid even today.

We cannot change the past but can transform the future. When Korea and Japan firmly join hands while reflecting on history, the era of peace will approach our side with large strides. When the pain of victims is substantively healed through concerted efforts, Korea and Japan will become genuine friends with heart-to-heart understanding.

Fellow Koreans and Koreans living overseas, As we have cultivated the Republic of Korea together over the past 100 years, we have to prosper together in the century to come. Each and every one of the people must be able to have an equal and fair opportunity and find happiness in their work without facing discrimination.

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For us to prosper together, we have embarked on yet another challenge of building an innovative, inclusive nation. The path toward an innovative, inclusive nation on which we are walking is also the same one that will build the country our forefathers dreamed of one hundred years ago today.

Countries around the world are now seeking a new path to solve the global issues of polarization and economic inequality, discrimination and exclusion, gaps among nations and climate change. They are closely watching how we take on the challenge to build an innovative, inclusive nation.

We are people unafraid of changes; in fact, we actively make use of them. We made a beautiful flower blossom in the world history of democracy through the most peaceful and refined methods. The strength to overcome the Asian foreign exchange crisis in 1997 and the global financial crisis in 2009 came entirely from the people.

Our next hundred years will be a century when peace leads to the power of inclusiveness, and the inclusiveness will in turn build a country where everyone prospers together. I am confident that we can take the initiative in making a transition into an inclusive nation and that the inclusive nation we are to build will become a global model of an inclusive nation.

The March First Independence Movement is still propelling us from behind into the future. Today, we are reevaluating independence activist Yu Gwan-sun’s accomplishments to award her the Order of Merit for National Foundation anew – this time at the highest grade – because the Movement is still progressing. Independence activist Yu Gwan-sun was at the forefront of the manse protest in Cheonan’s Aunae marketplace. She staged a manse protest without fear of death to mark the first anniversary of the Movement even as she was locked in Seodaemun Prison. However, her biggest accomplishment is having her name alone call to mind the Movement whenever we hear Yu Gwan-sun.

The history of the past 100 years proves that we can achieve changes and innovation if we do not lose hope no matter how difficult our present reality is.

Over the next 100 years, the growth of the people will directly lead to the growth of the nation. When unity is achieved from within by moving beyond ideological confrontations, and when peace and prosperity are accomplished from outside, genuine independence will be completed.

Thank you.

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40.

MARCH 14, 2019

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT MALAYSIA-KOREA BUSINESS FORUM

Minister of International Trade Y.B. Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking, President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia Tan Sri Datuk Ter Leong Yap, CEO of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Park Yongmaan, and business leaders from Malaysia and Korea, good morning!

I chose Malaysia, a founding member and a leader of ASEAN, as the destination for my first overseas trip this year. I can truly see and feel how Malaysia has developed. Monorails traveling everywhere and urban skylines were lit up against the night sky. The country has posted rapid annual growth of over 5 percent on average and reached US$430 billion in trade. I could get a glimpse of the dynamism of Malaysia, the economic heart of Asia and the only ASEAN member state that boasts a per capita GDP above US$10,000 with a population exceeding 10 million.

According to a recent survey, Malaysia is the best investment destination in the world. I can fully appreciate the true meaning of “Malaysia Boleh (can).”

Business leaders gathered here are the key players. I extend my respect and compliments to your endeavors.

Business leaders of Korea and Malaysia, Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two countries. We have become like-minded friends through exchanges over the past 60 years. In 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s founding father and first prime minister, loudly chanted “Merdeka” (independence) seven times in Merdeka Square.

Koreans can deeply relate to the overwhelming excitement and emotions the Malaysian people likely experienced at that time. This is because Koreans, too, felt the same jubilation back in 1945.

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In the 1960s, Malaysia offered us a grant which was used to build a bridge in Paju, north of Seoul, and named Malaysia-gyo to express appreciation. Some 20 years later, in contrast, a Korean company constructed the Penang Bridge in Malaysia. Bilateral people-to-people exchanges have also grown so vibrant that as many as one million people traveled back and forth between our two countries last year.

Malaysia and Korea are friends in need who have come to the aid of one another throughout our long history of exchanges. We are essential and crucial economic partners to each other. Among ASEAN member states, Malaysia is an important trading partner and investment destination for Korea. Many Korean businesses have a presence in Malaysia. Bilateral trade has steadily increased and approached US$20 billion last year. Notably, Kuala Lumpur’s landmark Petronas Twin Towers symbolize economic cooperation between our two countries. They are iconic for Koreans as well and make them feel closer to Malaysia. Now I propose we take our cooperation a step further and together open the door to the future.

Distinguished business leaders,

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I announced the ASEAN-ROK Future Community Vision immediately after my inauguration. I proposed working together to build a people-centered community of peace where everyone can prosper together. I intend to put relations between Korea and ASEAN members, including Malaysia, on par with those we have with the four major powers whose interests converge on the Korean Peninsula: China, Japan, Russia and the United States. The New Southern Policy of my Administration incorporates this intention.

The New Southern Policy shares a common denominator with the Look East Policy, which Prime Minister Mahathir began to pursue long ago. As the saying goes, it takes two hands to clap. I look forward to achieving a peoplecentered community of mutual prosperity together with Malaysia, a leading ASEAN member state and one of its five founding members.

Here in Kuala Lumpur, a city whose name literally means “confluence,” Malaysia’s Look East Policy and Korea’s New Southern Policy will merge to form a united, greater current. Economic cooperation between our two countries should bring benefits to both peoples and be pursued in a way to help us prosper together.

The first scheduled event of my visit to Malaysia brought me to the K-Wave and Halal Show. Halal-certified foods and cosmetics featuring the elements of Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, helped me sense the infinite potential of cooperation between our two countries.

Malaysia is a global halal market leader in name and substance. JAKIM, the world’s only national halal certification system, is now in force in the country, and the Malaysian government is striving to foster the halal industry. As a result, Malaysia now boasts the world’s most-accommodating halal environment.

Recently, halal-certified Daebak Ramen has been launched in Malaysia by a joint venture between Korean and Malaysian businesses. After gaining sensational popularity in Malaysia, this success story is being extended through exports back to Korea. In signing a memorandum of understanding to expand the halal industry, our two countries have reached an agreement to work together to jointly advance into the global halal market.

About 25 percent of the world’s population is Muslim, and the global halal market is valued at over US$2 trillion. Malaysia is one of the most passionate members of ASEAN to embrace the Korean Wave.

If Korea’s Hallyu and Malaysia's halal are combined, it will be possible for us to

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enter the huge global halal market together with enhanced competitiveness. In July this year, “K-town” will be established in the 1 Utama Shopping Centre.

I hope it will become a platform to facilitate the successful Hallyu-halal combination.

Distinguished business leaders, After launching the ASEAN Smart City Network last year, ASEAN member states are now accelerating the creation of smart cities. Korea is taking a lead in this sector; it has pursued a national project – the first of its kind in the world – by designating two Korean cities as venues for pilot smart cities.

This year, Korea and Malaysia will jointly pursue the first smart city pilot project within ASEAN with Kota Kinabalu as a partner city. It is a good opportunity to demonstrate our two countries’ capacities and exemplary practices to other ASEAN member states planning to build smart cities.

Malaysia is the only ASEAN member with its own domestic automobile manufacturers. This is the result of Prime Minister Mahathir having long maintained a huge interest in the automobile industry. I heard that the country has been focusing recently on nurturing electric cars, self-driving vehicles and other examples of a future-oriented auto industry through its National Automotive Policy. I hope that our two countries’ joint research into electric vehicles will produce tangible results. If Malaysia’s National Automotive Policy and Korea’s advanced electric car and battery technologies are combined, this will create great synergy effects.

Our two countries are also committed to energy transition policies. Malaysia is striving to increase renewable energy’s share in its energy mix to 25 percent by 2025 while Korea is also working to raise its comparable figure to 20 percent by 2030. To this end, our two countries are pushing forward with virtual power plant and micro-grid testing projects. When Korea’s energy storage technology and Malaysia’s hydro and solar energy capabilities are combined, this will lead to a great test project for providing electricity to underdeveloped areas.

In addition, Korea will set up an IT cooperation center in Malaysia and pool strengths to nurture talented IT professionals. Companies from our two countries have provided tremendous impetus for bilateral economic cooperation by participating in the establishment of a virtual reality center and a factory for secondary battery core materials among others. On the occasion of this visit, our two countries agreed to start procedures for a Korea-

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Malaysia bilateral FTA. If a bilateral FTA is concluded quickly, it will serve as an opportunity to advance bilateral trade cooperation much further.

Distinguished business leaders from our two countries, Prime Minister Mahathir said at the East Asia Summit last year that the military tension that gripped the Korean Peninsula in the past would disappear, expressing strong support for denuclearization and peace on the Peninsula. I express my gratitude once more. When denuclearization and permanent peace are achieved on the Korean Peninsula, the scope of bilateral economic cooperation will be further expanded. Many more opportunities will open up for you, business leaders.

There is a Malaysian proverb, “If it is light, we carry it together in our hands; if it is heavy, we carry it together on our shoulders.” If Korea and Malaysia work together, any hardship will become lighter. We will be able to achieve not only mutual prosperity for our two countries but also peace and prosperity for all of Asia. Let our two countries continue to help and learn from each other and move forward toward the future together.

Thank you.

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41.

MARCH 15, 2019

REMARKS AT JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING KOREA-CAMBODIA SUMMIT

I am truly grateful to His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen as well as the people of Cambodia for warmly welcoming me and my delegation.

I am very pleased to see Prime Minister Hun Sen again four months after our meeting in Singapore last November. The Prime Minister has a special affinity for the Korean Peninsula. He played an active role in arranging the 1997 normalization of diplomatic ties between our two countries as well as North Korea’s accession to the ASEAN Regional Forum. I am grateful to you for your extraordinary interest and contribution.

Since the reestablishment of diplomatic ties, Cambodia-Korea relations have made remarkable progress. Last year, bilateral trade nearly reached US$1 billion, and more than 400,000 people traveled back and forth between our two countries. Currently, Cambodia is Korea’s second largest development partner and Korea is the second largest inbound investor in Cambodia.

Today, Prime Minister Hun Sen and I agreed on the need to further accelerate development of bilateral relations and discussed how to jointly unfold a future of mutual prosperity.

First, we agreed to make efforts to further promote friendship between the peoples of our two countries. Approximately 50,000 Cambodians are now settling in Korea for employment or to make a home. Nearly 400,000 Koreans visit Cambodia annually to see for themselves the splendid history and culture of the Khmer Empire and world-class cultural heritage sites like Angkor Wat. We decided to redouble our efforts to protect the peoples of our two countries and their rights and interests. In particular, I give high marks to the finalization of the wording for a treaty this time on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to help lay an institutional foundation. Going forward, an increasing number of people will be able to travel back and forth between our

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two countries and stay safely, bringing our two countries closer.

Second, we agreed to promote our shared prosperity by expanding economic cooperation. As of now, many Korean businesses in Cambodia are driving dynamic economic development in both countries. We’ve agreed to promptly conclude a double taxation avoidance agreement to provide support for unconstrained activities of both countries' companies. On top of this, we have also decided to strive to address the difficulties faced by Korean financial companies in Cambodia to help promote their investments.

Our two countries will also strengthen cooperation in agriculture, transport and infrastructure. The Agricultural Products Distribution Center, which opened last month as a joint venture among businesses from both countries, is a good example of mutually beneficial cooperation. I am truly pleased that bilateral cooperation has enabled the export of Cambodia’s mangoes and other tropical fruit.

Korea has built roads and dams in Cambodia and is also actively involved in promoting ASEAN’s connectivity. I hope more Korean companies will advance into Cambodia and share their experiences and know-how in infrastructure development. In addition, we agreed to lay the foundation for both countries’ mutual growth through educational and technological cooperation to foster food processing, energy and ICT industries as well as small and medium-sized enterprises.

Third, our two countries agreed to closely cooperate for the sake of peace and stability in the region. Both countries share similarities, having overcome past wounds and achieved national stability and progress. Prime Minister Hun Sen showed steadfast support for the Korean Government’s endeavors to accomplish complete denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. I hope that Cambodia will continue to share with us the wisdom gained in overcoming a civil war.

We also concurred on the need to jointly respond to non-traditional security issues such as climate change. We will redouble efforts, now underway through the Korea-Mekong Forest Cooperation Center and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization, to preserve forests and all living things and prevent natural disasters.

Lastly, we also discussed ways to take ASEAN-Korea relations to a higher level. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Republic of Korea Dialogue Relations this year, the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit

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and the inaugural Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit will be held in Korea.

In particular, the first Mekong-ROK Summit is more significant as it was proposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen in a bid to promote genuine integration by closing the development gap among ASEAN member states.

I express my heartfelt gratitude once more to Cambodia. As Country Coordinator for ASEAN-Korea Dialogue Relations until last year, it has made great endeavors with respect to Korea hosting the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.

I am very much looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Hun Sen once more in Korea at the end of this year. I hope you will allow me an opportunity to repay your hospitality I received this time.

Thank you.

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42.

MARCH 21, 2019

REMARKS AT INNOVATIVE FINANCE VISION DECLARATION CEREMONY

Financial professionals and business leaders, I am glad to meet you all.

On the night of December 31, 1879, 290 light bulbs lit up the American state of New Jersey. It was a historic moment as Thomas Edison unveiled his incandescent bulbs to the world. The acclaim was short-lived. Edison soon ran into yet another hurdle. He lacked finance to mass-produce his light bulbs.

What opened a pathway for Edison at that time was the idea and technology themselves. With his technology patents for the incandescent light bulb put up as collateral, he was able to take out loans and receive funding to establish an electric company, a precursor to General Electric. He can be referred to as the first beneficiary of “innovative finance.” Had it not been for innovative finance, it would not have been possible for us to use incandescent bulbs, a game changer for the way humans live.

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, ideas equal competitiveness.

It should become possible to take on challenges with ideas alone. Only with the creation of an environment that enables ideas to turn into products can we become a leader in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. “Finance” should acknowledge the value of ideas. Finance should solidly buttress and lead innovation.

To promote the second venture boom, we need – in addition to corporate and government efforts – finance that emboldens an embrace of challenges and encourages innovation. Today, following the strategy to promote the second venture boom announced earlier this month, I will present a vision for innovative finance.

Nowadays, finance has become very close to our everyday lives. Things once only possible by a visit to a bank can be done on a smartphone – “a bank in my hand.”

Physical distances have been shortened considerably, but psychological ones

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are still vast. Startups filled with self-confidence about their dreams, ideas and technologies still find the steps to bank entryways too high.

Countries around the world have already been stimulating innovative startup sectors by spurring innovative finance. Leading global financial institutions are providing unsecured loans to innovative businesses after evaluating their corporate value or future growth potential. Apple and Amazon, both having started as business ventures, were able to turn their ideas into business models with the help of innovative finance and grow into the global businesses they are today.

In Korea, however, the tendency of financial institutions to only lend on the basis of real estate collateral and past performance records still holds innovative startups back. Unlike conglomerates that can offer sufficient collateral, innovative startups and SMEs are given a sliver of a chance to secure financial loans. It is no exaggeration to call the situation “financial polarization.”

Innovation would rapidly follow should this divide be resolved.

Financial professionals and business leaders, Innovative finance is the artery for startups and SMEs. Only when this financial artery is unclogged can the heart of innovation beat continually.

My Administration is pursuing innovative finance that can lead future technological innovation by departing from the outdated financial practices of the past. It intends to transform finance in a way that befits the new era.

First, we will completely innovate “the banks’ lending system.” In the case of such leading, innovative companies as Amazon, Facebook and Google, their market values are much higher than their net asset values. This is because the market factors in both their technological prowess and future growth potential. Now, we, too, need to assess the future growth potential of businesses in terms of their ideas and technologies, instead of their real estate collateral and track records.

Starting this year, a “package collateral system” will be fully implemented.

Then, it will become possible to raise funds by comprehensively utilizing various assets, including movable property, such as machines and inventory, as well as accounts receivable and intellectual property rights.

We will also establish an “integrated credit review system.” Technology evaluation and credit assessment will be integrated so that businesses possessing technological prowess can earn higher credit ratings. We expect

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this new system to help facilitate financing for those startups with advanced technology. The state-owned financial institutions that provide financial backing for policies will be the first to adopt the new system, followed by an increasing number of private financial institutions. Over the next three years, 100 trillion won in new funds will be provided to innovative SMEs. Our country is highly innovative as evidenced by the fact that it is the world’s fourth-largest filer of patent applications. Local consumers are eager to try innovative products. If innovative ideas are properly assessed by banks and commercialized, they are highly likely to succeed. Reforming the banks’ lending system will accelerate innovation.

Second, we will ensure that sufficient venture capital is provided to innovative businesses. The Government will significantly widen the doors for KOSDAQ listing: The criteria for the bio industry and other innovative industries will be differentiated to better reflect their profitability, original technologies and future financing potential. Innovative companies have been unable to meet the criteria for stock exchange listing due to requirements that were formulated in the past based on conventional manufacturing industries. The new measure will make it possible for a large number of those innovative businesses to enter the KOSDAQ market and raise funds. Over the past three years, only 38 bioand Fourth Industrial Revolution-related companies have been newly listed on KOSDAQ, but 80 such companies are expected to be added in the coming three years.

More and more businesses will come to benefit from the “fast-track listing system” as well. We will ease listing requirements so that KONEX-listed companies can make a rapid leap into KOSDAQ. Last year, the system enabled just one new KOSDAQ listing, but the number of companies is expected to rise to 30 by 2022. We will also revamp how the “growth support fund” is operated and increase it to 12 trillion won over the next five years, so innovative businesses will be able to receive sufficient financial support. Private equity funds that can afford to take on the risks associated with innovation will be granted greater investment autonomy, and the supply of private venture capital will be increased by strengthening incentives for investments in innovative companies and business ventures by mega investment banks.

In addition, we will gradually lower the securities transaction tax and work out a plan on how to adjust the roles of transaction and capital gains taxes in the mid to long term. The capital market tax system will be restructured to be conducive to venture capital investments. The Government will also boldly remove financial regulations that hinder venture capital investments through

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a system that shifts the responsibility for proving the necessity of existing regulations to government officials.

Third, a sufficient amount of necessary funds will be provided to innovate manufacturing and service industries. Preemptive support for manufacturing and service industries will offer opportunities to help SMEs and mid-market companies advance and strengthen research and development. Over the next three years, 12.5 trillion won in government financing will be provided to SMEs and mid-market companies engaged in Korea’s key industries. Very long-term financing, with a maturity of up to 15 years, will be supplied to enable businesses to carry out structural reforms in the long term. I expect that 40,000 new jobs will be created as a result.

To help facilitate capital market-backed business restructuring, the corporate structure innovation fund – now valued at 1 trillion won – will be gradually increased to 5 trillion won. Sixty-trillion-won worth of government financing will be provided to promising service industries such as tourism, health and medical services, cultural contents and logistics over the next five years to serve as pump priming for service industry innovation. I anticipate that 130,000 jobs will be created over the next five years.

There can be failures in the process of pursuing innovation or financial institutions can suffer losses. The Government will improve financial supervisory methods in an innovation-friendly way. For losses incurred by financial companies while actively supporting innovative industries, relevant executives and staff will be exempted from their liabilities, except in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence.

Distinguished financial industry and business leaders, There has been scathing criticism of finance: “It lends umbrellas on sunny days and collects umbrellas on rainy days.” Now this must change. “Finance should be warm-hearted enough to serve as umbrellas on rainy days,” and, taking it a step further, I hope that it will become “innovative enough to help forecast future sunlight beyond rain clouds.”

I ask all of the financial industry leaders here to actively take part in endeavors to spur innovation. All of you financial industry leaders have already opened the bank settlement systems and expanded inclusive finance. I ask you to move forward still. I also ask you startup and SME leaders to step further toward the forefront of innovation in return for the efforts of the financial industry.

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The Government will also actively help the financial industry and business leaders innovate by upgrading the system and strengthening our pumppriming role through government financing. In particular, concerted efforts will be made to maintain a driving force behind innovative finance by creating a public-private joint task force comprised of Government and financial institution representatives. Among us are the ruling party floor leader and chief policymaker as well as the chairs and members of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance and National Policy committees. Concerning matters that require legislation, I ask you to engage in consultations in the Assembly and provide support where needed.

I urge financial industry and business leaders, the National Assembly and the Administration to work in unison so that innovative finance can lead to innovative growth. I hope that the public will also join in all of these efforts.

Thank you.

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43.

MARCH 22, 2019

REMARKS AT 2019 WORLD WATER DAY CEREMONY(7th STOP OF NATIONWIDE ECONOMIC TOUR: DAEGU)

Fellow Koreans, citizens of Daegu and distinguished guests, While commemorating the United Nations’ World Water Day, I am deeply grateful to all of those who have dedicated themselves to preserving and managing water. I also offer my heartfelt congratulations to everyone who has been honored with an award today.

Water is the root of all living things. Wherever humans tread, there is water.

Our communities are formed around water. It would not be possible to talk about life and civilization without bringing up water.

Water is a human right. Since long ago, water management has indeed had a direct bearing on the lives of the people. Water should be neither in shortage nor overabundance. Securing a stable supply of clean water is about guaranteeing the basic rights that our people deserve.

Water also equals the economy. Only when there is water will it be possible to grow crops and operate factories. Energy can also be obtained by building power plants. Moreover, water-related industries are emerging as a new growth sector in the era of climate change and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Fellow Koreans and Daegu citizens, Previous administrations have worked hard to secure a stable supply of water and, at the same time, to prevent disasters. Now, however, we need new plans. Abnormal weather conditions and natural disasters caused by climate change will occur more frequently and more devastatingly. Natural disasters are mostly water related, including floods, typhoons, droughts and heavy snows. We need fundamental measures to address water-related issues

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as well as changes in sustainable water management plans that consider the environment and ecosystem.

There are limits to policies that mainly focus on the amount of water and post-disaster recovery. We need to go beyond the past perspective of viewing water as something to be preserved or regulated. What is required is a more active shift in perspective toward new growth engines in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and coexistence between the environment and new industries. Last year, my Administration helped enact the “Framework Act on Water Management” for the first time in history. We have begun the integrated management of water, an item essential for all life forms, one that assures the public can live safely and that serves as a new growth engine. On the occasion of World Water Day 2019 today, I will outline the Government’s integrated water management policy for you.

First, access to clean water must be guaranteed always no matter where or who you are. The Government will ensure that safe water is supplied to islands as well as to farming and fishing villages. This year, the Government will inject 225.2 billion won into upgrading dilapidated water supply facilities and 144.9 billion won into developing drinking water sources for island regions.

Second, the Government will create an environment that is safe from waterrelated disasters. By accurately analyzing the water supply capacities of dams and effectively redistributing water resources, the Government will make it possible to use water in a stable manner even during a drought.

Flood prevention starts with precise forecasting. By sharing information on possible precipitation and water levels at dams on a real time basis as well as establishing an integrated control center, the Government will immediately respond to floods in mountainous areas and those along rivers. The stability of dams and facilities for water supply and sewage will be enhanced. The Government will overhaul mid- to large-sized water pipes that have been used for more than 20 years as early as possible and push ahead with a project to stabilize water supply facilities to protect against the accidental loss of service.

The Government’s integrated water management plan incorporates new visions of not only supplying safe water but also emerging as an innovative water industry powerhouse. Due to climate change and technological advances in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the global water industry is gradually expanding its scope. Up until now, the water industry has been mainly confined to the circulation of water from dams, streams, water pipes and faucets to sewers, but its market is growing day by day as

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the industry has recently expanded to include smart water management and the energy sector. The global water industry market, which is now valued at over US$700 billion, is expected to grow at an annual average rate of more than 4 percent until 2022. The Government will provide strategic support so that local technologically competitive water companies can enter the global market.

The construction of a national water industry cluster in Daegu will soon be completed in June this year. The cluster will consist of spaces for about 100 facilities for water-related R&D and demonstrations as well as relevant businesses. The Government will help develop and distribute innovative technology for the water industry and promote the domestic water industry through this cluster. It will assist in all pertinent areas from R&D and technological performance verification and certification to commercialization and entry into overseas markets. It will also expand infrastructure to support new startups, including the establishment of a convergence platform for waterrelated big data.

Fellow Koreans and Daegu citizens,

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Several past water pollution incidents put the safety of drinking water from the Nakdonggang River basin at risk for the 13 million people in the country’s southeastern region who rely on it. Perhaps no one more desperately feels the need for comprehensive water management than the residents living near the Nakdonggang and Geumhogang river basins, the lifeline of Daegu. The Nakdonggang has a long watershed reaching down to Busan from Gangwondo Province, and there are many local governments, densely populated areas and industrial complexes along the river basin. In addition, the water flows at a slow speed, and the amount also drops off in the dry season. Naturally, managing its water quality is difficult, and there have been quite a few conflicts among local governments in the upper and lower regions of the river that rely on it for drinking water. Thus, previous governments have always made solving Nakdonggang water issues an important goal, and they have also striven to supply clean tap water to households through highly sophisticated purification procedures. However, these are not enough. The water quality of the Nakdonggang itself must be improved as a water source.

As Daegu citizens, local governments, the central Government and related companies have come together to solve these problems, Daegu has become a water industry hub. Moreover, as the national water industry cluster takes shape, Daegu is emerging as the core that will lead the development of the Republic of Korea’s water industry. Our dream of taking the lead in the global water industry market in the years to come will be realized at the national water industry cluster here in Daegu. In addition, I expect that it will play a significant role in improving the water quality of the Nakdonggang.

The Government will keep pace with the citizens here along the path toward building Daegu into the world’s leading water industry city.

Thank you.

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44.

MARCH 28, 2019

OPENING REMARKS AT DIALOGUE WITH FOREIGN-INVESTED COMPANIES

AMCHAM Chairman of Board of Governors Jeffrey Jones and business leaders from foreign-invested companies, presidents of foreign chambers of commerce in Korea and officials of other associations and organizations, I am glad to meet you all.

When foreign businesses invest in Korea, they are “our companies” that join in our economic development. Your success is synonymous with the Korean economy’s progress. We are in the same boat bound by a shared destiny.

You have already become an important pillar of the Korean economy. Foreigninvested companies account for 19 percent of Korea’s exports and 7 percent of the country’s employment. You are making great contributions to supplementing Korea’s competitiveness in its tenuous sectors such as the parts and materials industries. Moreover, your horizontal organizational culture and women- and family-friendly policies have positive impacts on corporate culture in Korea.

Together with Korea’s economic growth, foreign investment has increased substantially. Foreign investment in Korea last year posted a record high of over US$26.9 billion. Even as foreign investments worldwide decreased as much as 19 percent due to the sluggish global economy, inbound investment in Korea increased as much as 17 percent in contrast. It is a precious achievement, indeed. It can be credited to all of you here today.

Foreign-invested businesses have also set examples by creating local jobs and promoting mutual benefits with small and medium-sized enterprises. More than 18,000 foreign-invested companies have created 740,000 jobs in Korea.

One of them hired 80 percent of its new employees from local residents, becoming an exemplary case of local-job creation. Another of them reinvested its profits gained in Korea to jointly develop technology with its partner SME. My special thanks go to them. For our part, my Administration and local governments will support you proactively so that your steady investments and best practices can continue.

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Korea makes an attractive investment destination.

First, the Korean economy has strong fundamentals. Last year, Korea’s exports surpassed US$600 billion for the first time ever, firmly establishing Korea as the sixth largest exporter in the world. The country has also registered a trade surplus for 10 consecutive years. With its foreign exchange reserves exceeding US$400 billion for the first time, the health of Korea’s economy has been bolstered even more.

Second, Korea is armed with a high level of openness along with excellent industrial and trade infrastructure. According to “Doing Business 2019,” a report measuring business regulations released by the World Bank, Korea ranked 5th among 190 countries on the ease of doing business. Korea tops the ranking among the G20 member states. In addition, Korea has signed free trade agreements with 52 nations, including the United States, China and India as well as the European Union and ASEAN. As these countries account for 77 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, foreign-invested companies trying to enter global markets could find no better environment than Korea.

Third, after the inter-Korean summits last year, geopolitical risks have been drastically reduced. Standard & Poor’s, one of the three major credit rating agencies in the world, has maintained Korea’s rating at a record-high level for the country, one that is even above that of China and Japan. The country’s credit default swap premium, which reflects the level of sovereign debt default risks, fell significantly, recording a new low since October 2007, while that of most other countries rose last year. Peace is leading to an increase in economic vitality.

Korea’s core strategy for attracting foreign investment is to help all of you succeed in the country.

Korea introduced a regulatory sandbox system this year to allow innovative products to be easily tested and launched. Some 17 cases have already been approved, and investments are being arranged. Cash subsidies designed to support foreign investment was significantly increased to 50 billion won in this year’s budget. Unnecessary regulations will be boldly eliminated, and incentives for investment will be strengthened so that you will experience no more inconvenience when investing here than you would in your own countries. I hope that foreign-invested companies will actively utilize the regulatory sandbox system and play a bigger role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and innovative growth.

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Distinguished business leaders from foreign-invested companies, The Korean economy has developed together with foreign-invested companies, and it will continue to do so going forward. Your success will provide a great boost to the Korean economy’s development, which in turn will open up many more business opportunities.

The Korean economy is wide open to foreign-invested companies. In particular, an economy based on peace on the Korean Peninsula will become the world’s most attractive market. I ask you to pay attention to the unlimited potential of a peace-driven economy.

The Korean Government will always strive to ensure that you can dream of many more successes and investments in the country. This meeting today is arranged to listen to your candid opinions. No matter what you have to say, I ask you to speak frankly.

Thank you.

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45.

‌ APRIL 01, 2019

OPENING REMARKS AT MEETING WITH LEADERS OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS

Leaders of civil society organizations, I am glad to meet you all.

Joining us here today are leaders of civil society organizations that represent different walks of life in Korea. I share a sense of camaraderie with you as I once spent quite a long time participating in the activities of various local civil society organizations. I hope you feel comfortable during this event today.

Relationships between the Government and civil society are not invariable.

These relations ebb and flow sometimes and are tense other times. I’d like to believe that Government-civil society ties are good now. Am I correct in believing this way?

Any way we look at it, collaborative governance relations between the Government and civil society and their partnerships in running state affairs have been increasingly strengthened and advanced. It is the preserve of the Government and politicians to make laws and institutions and allocate national resources, but civil society plays a role in demanding and leading efforts for improvements in laws and institutions and the appropriate allocation of national resources and creating momentum in this process.

Civil society in Korea has been spearheading our social progress and doing better than anyone in fulfilling such important roles as putting checks on and offering critiques of the state and presenting alternatives.

As times change, problems for society to tackle have become more complicated and diverse. Economic justice, socio-economic polarization, human rights, gender equality, the environment and ecology as well as consumer protection, inter-Korean relations and climate change response on a global scale – such problems which require our collective wisdom and joint solutions from around the world lie ahead of us.

The Government is limited in what it can do. Therefore, civil society has taken on even greater roles in that regard. My Administration was launched

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by upholding the aspirations expressed through the candlelight rallies. Civil society, which played a leading role in the candlelight revolution, constitutes a partner for and also a participant in the administration of state affairs. Your voices equal the people’s voices. I hope you all will become partners in leading our society together while continuing to play the role of stern monitors as well. Although the Government is doing its utmost, the role of other entities is crucial in those areas beyond a government’s reach.

To a large extent, peace on the Korean Peninsula has to be addressed politically and diplomatically. Still, since hostilities and confrontations have persisted for a long time, it is also very important to help the people recognize peace as the most precious value and practice it in their everyday life. I request your cooperation to ensure that peace in the people’s daily lives leads to peace for the Korean Peninsula.

Fine dust is directly related to the people’s lives and health. Since the issue has a bearing on power plant management, energy supply and demand, jobs and the livelihoods of low-income families, it is regrettable that it can't be tackled in the short term. In line with the promise made to the people, we will respond to the issue by swiftly setting up a pan-government organization that incorporates professionals, citizens and officials from public institutions.

A fair economy, women, young people and consumer protection – we cannot afford to pay any less attention to each of these issues. The people do not condone even slight unfairness in their everyday lives. I hope you will work as outside monitors for the sake of a fair economy and consumer protection and pool your wisdom concerning women and youth issues as well.

Of particular importance is to achieve social consensus with regard to grave pending issues that are highly likely to cause conflict.

Now, social consensus is being sought, mainly through the Economic, Social and Labor Council, on such issues as improving regulations to urge compliance with the 52-hour workweek and a system for determining the minimum wage as well as ratifying ILO Core Conventions and upgrading the post-retirement income guarantee system. In addition, without social consensus, it is impossible to come up with countermeasures to an aging society with low fertility, which is an inevitable, fundamental transformation facing our society, and solutions to the problems related to changes in jobs and the people’s lives in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

These are crucial tasks for which the Government and civil society need to

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pool wisdom.

My Administration chose preparing the foundation for the growth of civil society as one of our top priorities. Now, it is in the process of helping legislate a civil society development framework act and aims to stimulate civil society through the Civil Society Development Committee. The Office for the Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Society was set up in the Presidential Secretariat as a way to strengthen direct communication. Many figures from civil society are already working for Cheong Wa Dae, the National Assembly and various government committees. I will work to further develop such cooperative governance.

The centennial of the Provisional Republic of Korea Government’s founding will soon be here. During the next century of the Republic of Korea, the growth of each citizen will directly lead to our national growth. Internally, we need to unify people beyond ideological confrontation, and externally, we need to achieve peace and prosperity.

Along that path, you are not merely critics but main actors taking initiative and key players in a society that is ever changing.

I consider this opportunity today as an occasion for carefully listening to you.

I hope that you will give candid opinions.

Thank you.

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46.

‌ APRIL 02, 2019

OPENING REMARKS AT EXPANDED TOURISM STRATEGY MEETING

Good afternoon everyone. It is significant that this expanded tourism strategy meeting is being held here in Incheon’s Songdo International City, the Republic of Korea’s first free economic zone.

Korea is an attractive nation. It possesses diversity and dynamism in all areas, including history, culture, the economy and the environment. Its heritage dates back hundreds of thousands of years, ranging from dinosaur fossils to the latest information and communication technology. It features diverse culture and also beautiful nature with four distinct seasons.

The Korean people are known for their openness and kindhearted welcoming of guests. Tourism is a sphere that should win people’s hearts and minds. Only if people around the world feel fondness and empathy toward us will they spend their time and money to visit Korea. In that regard, we are equipped with very good conditions.

Actually, when I meet with foreign nationals, I can sense their favorable impressions of Korea have grown very much recently. In particular, they view very favorably the high level of civic consciousness of Koreans who helped resuscitate democracy in a peaceful manner after the candlelight revolution.

Last year, the PyeongChang Winter Olympics’ success as a peace Olympics helped raise awareness and favorable impressions of Korea even higher.

Positive interest in the Republic of Korea generated by Hallyu, the Korean Wave, has been even more explosive. Whatever country you go to, you can hear talk of K-pop and K-dramas. Enthusiastic Hallyu fans consider Korea a travel destination worth visiting. Many cities and places across the country have become popular tourist attractions for them: Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Ilsan, the hometowns of BTS members; Seoul’s Gangnam District from Psy’s hit song; and the wheat field in Gangwon-do Province where the actor Won Bin held his wedding. The percentage of Hallyu tourists now surpasses 10 percent of all inbound foreign tourists. Another reason to visit Korea is

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e-sports. Tickets for a 26,000-seat e-sports competition held here in Incheon in 2018 sold out, and 34 percent of those went to foreign tourists.

There is no border between the soft power of culture and arts and the hard power of economic and technological prowess.

Several days ago, Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians came here to the Incheon Free Economic Zone during her visit to Korea. Many such leaders and professionals continually visit this place to experience firsthand Korea’s advanced ICT technology. Korea went through an accelerated and compressed economic growth process during the short period when it took off to become an advanced nation from an impoverished country that gained independence after World War II. For this reason, many countries want to learn from and share our economic growth experience. It is a source of great strength as well.

Korea is also tremendously popular as a shopping destination, where travelers can shop for food, clothing, cosmetics and healthcare services as well as appliances and mobile phones that utilize cutting-edge technology. All of these serve as the foundation of Korea’s tourism industry. The tourism industry is a key driver of economic growth. As one of the world's three major export sectors, its employment inducement coefficient is more than twice that of manufacturing. In addition, the industry provides opportunities for foreign tourists to purchase our products.

Experiencing our natural landscape, culture and goods as well as the warmhearted generosity of Koreans helps increase favorable impressions of Korea, which in turn leads to revisits and voluntary promotion. As such, a virtuous cycle is now in the making. Our national tourism strategy should start precisely at this point. Only when we accurately recognize the merits our country possesses – the aspects of Korea that people around the world may find appealing – will it be possible to plan an effective national tourism strategy. Only after clearly defining the objective – what kind of economic and social effects can be achieved through tourism – can we devise corresponding strategies.

Numerous challenges lie ahead of us: As the global tourism market, especially that of the Asia Pacific region, expands, some leading countries such as the United States, Australia and China are channeling all of their efforts into revitalizing tourism. However, issues connected to the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula caused a precipitous fall in Chinese group tours, dealing a serious blow to our country’s tourism industry overall, which was a wrenching experience for Korea. Like trade or winning overseas contracts,

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tourism has now also entered an era of all-out global competition. It is necessary for us to win the competition in order to emerge as a country with a tourism account surplus.

Korea and other Asian nations are each other’s largest tourism consumers.

Though still not back to previous levels, the number of inbound Chinese tourists is again trending upward. In addition, the successful conclusion of aviation talks between Korea and China has laid the foundation to advance our bilateral tourism to a new level. India has the second largest population in the world with around 1.37 billion people, and some 68 million of them hold passports. With the number of its outbound tourists estimated to reach 50 million in 2020, the country possesses an immeasurable growth potential as a tourism market. We need to make India a new main market for our tourism industry by making the most of our New Southern Policy and the 2019 Korea Culture & Tourism Festival slated for this month. Expanding exchanges with ASEAN member states also constitutes a significant chance for our tourism industry to leap forward. If we take advantage of various opportunities this year, such as the Year of Mutual Exchanges between Korea and the Philippines, the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit and the Mekong-ROK Summit,

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demand from ASEAN tourists will increase still more.

Korea has cultural and technological strengths. We need to upgrade the standards of our tourism services by fusing mobile technologies as well as information and communication technology to keep up with changing tourism trends. In this regard, it is necessary to expedite the establishment of a smart tourism infrastructure, which makes services related to transport, language, reservation and payment available entirely on a smart phone.

The areas visited by foreign tourists are mostly limited to metropolitan Seoul, Jejudo Island and Busan. I urge local governments to play a leading role in the tourism industry by focusing on contents that highlight features unique to their regions, including medical tourism, maritime travel, experiential tourism, cruise travel and music tourism. First of all, the Government will select one major city or provincial region and develop it into a world-class travel destination following Seoul and Jejudo Island and foster four other districts, counties or local cities as regional tourism hubs.

We will help improve the tourism capacity of regional areas by supporting tourism-related business ventures; tour dure, local tourism cooperatives; and youth startups.

Since travel is the Korean people’s favorite leisure activity, we will ensure that tourism fills its role of providing people rest by expanding subsidies for workers’ domestic vacations and increasing financial assistance through the Munhwa Nuri Cards, pre-paid cash cards provided to low-income households for cultural expenses.

Paradoxically, the Korean Peninsula – the last remaining territory in the world still divided by Cold War rivalry – can use peace tourism and ecotourism as a means to leap forward. Security-focused DMZ tourism already set a record by attracting a total of 3.17 million visitors in one year. If peace and ecological tourism is added to this, tourism demand is expected to rise as peace progresses on the Korean Peninsula. We will actively support peace tourism and eco-tourism so that future generations can reflect on peace and security simultaneously and enjoy a clean and beautiful environment unlike the periods of conflict and environmental degradation through which my generation suffered.

Compared to other industries, the tourism industry is intricately intertwined with the interests of many ministries, agencies and businesses, and conflicts arise over the merits. In that sense, Incheon, the venue of today’s meeting, is

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an optimal place to hold a national tourism strategy conference.

Incheon is a city where the results and challenges of the tourism industry can be seen at a glance. Many travelers come to the Republic of Korea through Incheon International Airport, the world’s best airport, but they often head to other cities rather than staying in Incheon. In response, Incheon has upgraded its tourism contents by regenerating the old city center near the inner harbor and the open port area as well as abandoned industrial facilities. A cluster of integrated resorts, the MICE industry and cruise tourism have been newly developed, and the drawback of a border region was sublimated through peace tourism. This is the result of concerted efforts made by Incheon citizens, the private sector and local governments.

I hope that today’s meeting will help improve the people’s quality of life and serve as an opportunity to discuss the collective goals of sustainable growth and an account surplus in the Republic of Korea’s tourism industry, transcending the interests of ministries and agencies.

Thank you.

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47.

APRIL 04, 2019

ADDRESS AT 63rd NEWSPAPER DAY CEREMONY

Newspaper professionals and distinguished guests, I congratulate you on the 63rd Newspaper Day. When I think of newspapers, the word “first” comes to my mind. Early in the morning, picking up a newspaper that still gives off a whiff of ink is a way to catch up with the day’s news “first.” Newspapers are also a “first” for democracy. Humanity wrested freedom of the press for the first time through England’s Glorious Revolution. The free press enabled the increasing growth of democracy, human rights, justice and peace.

In our history, newspapers signified coming to face with a new era. The first private newspaper “Dongnip Sinmun” (The Independent) published by Soh Jaipil advocated democracy, human rights and women’s rights for the “first” time in Korea 120 years ago. In addition, it was printed in Hangeul to enable more Koreans to read it.

The underground Joseon Dongnip Sinmun published its first edition on March 1, 1919, when the Independence Movement erupted, informing the public about the declaration of independence for the “first” time. Its second edition on March 3 reported that a provisional government would be established by convening a national conference and a president would be elected. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, too, informed the public about the founding of the Provisional Government and the independence movement by publishing its news organ “Dongnip Sinmun” on August 21, 1919.

Members of the newspaper community and journalists, A printed photograph and a line of an article reflecting the conscience of journalists changed the course of history in the past. In 1936, the DongA Ilbo in one of its articles carried a photo of Sohn Kee-chung and Nam Seungyong, the Berlin Olympics marathon gold and bronze medalists, with the

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Japanese flag on their chests expunged. Its report played a role in inspiring the determination to achieve independence and “can-do” confidence among the Korean people then suffering under Japanese colonial rule.

In 1960, a photo of high school student Kim Ju-yul’s body, which was taken and reported as a scoop by Busan Ilbo reporter Huh Jong, touched off the beginning of the April 19 Revolution.

On May 20, 1980, about 20,000 copies of a joint letter of resignation reflecting the conscience of Jeonnam Maeil Sinmun journalists were distributed to the public as a newspaper extra. It read “We saw it. We saw with our own eyes that people were being dragged like dogs and dying. However, even a single line could not be carried in the newspaper. Hereby, we lay down our brushes out of shame.” Their brave behavior demonstrated during the period of dictatorship and censorship gave heartfelt consolation and encouragement to the citizens of Gwangju cut off from the outside world at that time.

The candlelight revolution, too, has been billed as the most peaceful and democratic revolution around the world through local papers’ reporting. All of this testifies to the strength of newspapers and their coverage.

Freedom of the press has never come easy. The path newspapers and newspaper professionals have taken has been rough, indeed. They fought against Japanese imperialists who confiscated papers as well as suspended and closed down publications. They also struggled against dictatorships that recklessly censored by drawing red lines across articles under the pretext of guidelines for reporting. They resisted by leaving advertisement columns blank, and hundreds of journalists were fired at a time. Even though some used their power to cover the eyes of the people and conceal the truth, our newspaper journalists never caved in.

The Korean people have cherished and trusted our newspapers as well. Even when newspapers were blocked from accurately conveying the truth by censorship from those in power, the people gleaned what really happened from short, single-column articles in the corner of a paper, not from the frontpage lead stories. They even discovered the truth by reading between the lines in articles that could not be straightforward.

I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have made painstaking efforts to uphold the proud history of our newspapers and hold fast to the conscience of newspaper professionals while standing on the side of truth and justice.

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Newspaper professionals and journalists, Now, there is no political authority that suppresses freedom of the press. No press organization fears an administration, either. Many dismissed journalists have returned to work. However, it seems that public confidence in the press is not bouncing back. For the sake of truth-based, impartial and balanced reporting, newspapers still face external and internal challenges that remain unchanged and must be surmounted.

The first challenge involves freedom of the press. Korea ranked 31st in 2006 on the Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index, which is recognized as the most reliable indicator. However, the ranking plunged to 69th in 2009 and 70th in 2016. Since the launch of my Administration, it has risen again to 63rd in 2017 and 43rd in 2018. However, besides political power, numerous factors that constrain the conscience of journalists and freedom of the press still linger, including the capital that controls media outlets and advertising; social prejudices; faction-driven logic that divides the people; and the race for breaking news.

The second challenge involves trust. We live in an era when everyone can generate news reports and broadcast with just a smartphone. The time of media outlets reporting and readers simply following is ending. The constantly evolving information and communication environment has not only raised the speed at which information circulates to an unprecedented level compared to the past but has also simultaneously become a means to quickly spread false information and fake news. This poses a serious challenge that undermines trust not only in newspapers and newspaper professionals but also among members of society.

The third challenge involves fairness. As eight out of 10 people in Korea access news through mobile devices, people are now more likely to read news by turning on a smartphone than unfolding a newspaper. Being the first to release reports and the one to receive more clicks have become crucial for newspaper companies. Some have pointed out how this has contributed to increasing sensational news or shallow coverage and generating incomplete news articles.

Declining rates for newspaper subscriptions and readership are an inevitable media environment, but public expectations for the role of traditional newspapers have not decreased. Although news is consumed online, people are reading news that newspaper companies have provided via the internet.

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Many people talk about newspapers facing a crisis, but I see a unique role that only papers can fill. The freedom of conscience is the basis for freedom of the press. When each and every newspaper professional enjoys freedom of conscience as a journalist, newspapers will be able to fulfill their inherent mission.

Newspapers are respected when they represent the voices of the people. Their criticisms based on fair and diverse perspectives as well as agenda items set in consideration of the public good are the source of the strength that allows the Government to stay alert and focus exclusively on serving the people.

Only then will the benefits for the people grow larger and the Republic of Korea become stronger. If newspapers and newspaper professionals innovate themselves without forgetting the mission of the press, public trust and respect will also continue as before.

Newspaper professionals and distinguished guests from home and abroad, Newspapers are a mirror for our society. They are a barometer for the strength of a people and a nation. Thus, there is no difference between the goals of the people and the Government and those of newspapers. Our society will be transformed into a better community, if the conscience of newspaper journalists is expressed freely and newspapers represent the weak and marginalized. To this end, the Government must also join forces.

Newspapers in Korea, together with the people, have pushed their way through the shackles of history. With this in mind, I hope newspapers will always remain partners in jointly creating an innovative, inclusive Korea that is fairer, freer and more democratic and peaceful.

Thank you.

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48.

APRIL 08, 2019

REMARKS AT CEREMONY CELEBRATING REPUBLIC OF KOREA LAUNCHING WORLD’S FIRST 5G COMMERCIAL SERVICE

Fellow Koreans, Korea succeeded in commercializing 5G mobile technology for the first time in the world with the launch of commercial services by its three carriers. It is yet another remarkable feat that builds on our having been the first in the world to commercialize ultra-high-speed internet service. I hope today will become a day when we all celebrate together and set out a new 5G strategy vision.

Individual subscribers accessing mobile telecommunication services through their cell phones may wonder, “Why do I need 5G when my smartphone is sufficient?” To get straight to the point, fourth-generation mobile service is still considered fast, but in the not-too-distant future, it will never be deemed that fast.

The internet of things at home – refrigerators, washers, audio components, televisions, electrical switches, beds – is changing our everyday lives. That the number of IoT-based products is growing means an increase in the use of related data communications. The number of sectors that utilize data communications, including self-driving cars and smart factories, will increase exponentially going forward. Existing communication networks will end up overloaded.

The more cars there are, the broader the roads needed. Similarly, mobile communication networks will require broader, faster routes for everexpanding data exchanges and connections between things. Compared to the existing 4G, the speed will become 20 times faster, the number of connectable devices will increase ten-fold, and delays will fall to one tenth of today’s rates.

A broader, congestion-free communication highway – this is what 5G is all about.

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Economically, 5G can be likened to a highway. Just as highways served as the main arteries of our economy during industrialization, 5G mobile networks characterized by the super-fast transfer of huge data and the hyperconnectivity of everything in real time with ultra-low latency will generate new opportunities for Korea’s industries and economy in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

More than anything else, 5G serves as the infrastructure for innovative growth in the Republic of Korea. The convergence of 5G and different industrial sectors will enable shared growth by innovating all of Korea’s industries – from the information and communications industry to such manufacturing and business ventures as automobiles, drones, robots and intelligent CCTVs. In 2026, the global 5G market is projected to be worth 1.16 quadrillion won.

Considering the market size of semiconductors last year amounted to 529 trillion won, this is the equivalent of creating a massive new market more than double the size. The digital innovation of all industries will be accelerated.

Innovative convergence services – impossible until now – will make it possible to foster in earnest such signature industries of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

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as self-driving cars and smart factories and cities. In addition, the combination of artificial intelligence and cloud computing will spur innovation in industrial structure that can significantly boost the productivity of flagship manufacturing.

My fellow citizens, 5G is an open world. Existing mobile communication technologies have been used for people-to-people connections, whereas 5G adds connections to all things. The 5G-based new industrial ecosystem will provide opportunities for our young people to take on new challenges and for the nation to give rise to a second venture boom.

Combining state-of-the-art technologies with 5G will help make our lives richer and safer. Among other things, 5G technologies and services must first be applied to such areas as healthcare, education, transport and disaster control.

With doctors diagnosing patients in real time during their ambulance rides, it will be possible to provide treatment within the critical golden hour. Utilizing self-driving cars will enable faster and safer travel as well as help reduce traffic congestion and energy use through a swift response to unexpected situations or obstacles.

Irrespective of geographical constraints, it will become possible for anyone eager to learn to receive realistic and immersive distance education. The number of casualties can be reduced once it becomes possible to pinpoint the location of victims and transmit situation-specific, high-definition information from the scenes of fires and other disasters.

Fellow Koreans, The significance of being first in the world is that the standards set by the Republic of Korea can become the global standards. In 1996 and 1998, Korea became the world's first country to commercialize code-division multiple access, or CDMA, and ultra-high-speed internet, respectively. The Republic of Korea has now opened a third door to turn its standard into the global standard.

Many countries around the world are already engaged in fierce competition over the early commercialization of 5G. We are now just one step ahead. This is the time for us to take on the challenge of becoming the world’s best.

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More than anything else, we must change our view of the telecommunication market. The era where leading businesses compete in the entirely separate sectors of handsets, equipment, services and content has come to an end.

Hardware and software as well as the government and the private sector need to be combined to form a single ecosystem for convergence and collaboration.

Korea commercializing 5G for the first time in the world was made possible thanks to smooth cooperation among the Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea’s three leading carriers and mobile phone manufacturers. I would like to express my appreciation to those in the relevant industries for joining forces to take the lead in the era of 5G. The Korean Government will push ahead with a national 5G strategy to create the world’s best 5G ecosystem. It has set goals to increase Korea’s global market share to 15 percent, generate 600,000 quality jobs and achieve US$73 billion in exports by 2026. It will also establish a public-private joint 5G plus strategic committee, and all government ministries and agencies will work together as one team to provide impetus to 5G in the early stages.

The Government and the private sector will jointly invest more than 30 trillion won and establish a nationwide 5G network at an early stage by 2022. We will also help foster new 5G-based industries and services, ranging from network equipment, next generation smartphones, robots and drones to intelligent CCTVs, self-driving vehicles, smart factories and smart cities.

As this is an unprecedented path, there may be hard-to-predict areas as well as trials and errors. The Government and affiliated organizations will be the first parties to adopt and utilize 5G and boldly carry out testing and pilot projects, thereby helping the market take off as quickly as possible.

Tax credits will be provided for establishing 5G networks in a bid to stimulate private-sector investment, and world-class test beds will be formed. We will assist in establishing one thousand 5G factories for the sake of manufacturing innovation at SMEs and increase productivity at flagship manufacturing industries. In addition, we will nurture talented professionals who will lead the 5G era and will actively support startups.

The Government will focus its efforts on information protection and securityrelated R&D with a view to solving major global concerns around security issues. We will further accelerate regulatory reform so that regulations do not hold back new industries.

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I, as President, will promote our advanced technology whenever an opportunity presents itself, for example the 360-degree virtual reality live broadcasts during the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games and the smart wall used in the press center for the inter-Korean summit on April 27, 2018.

It is also important to narrow the digital divide. The policy focus will be placed on ensuring that every citizen will enjoy the benefits of the 5G era equally. We will cooperate with carriers to help introduce a range of low- to mid-priced plans that subscribers can choose from according to their needs while seeking, without fail, to assist with telecommunication service subscriptions for the people’s wellbeing: Further reducing subscription fees for the underprivileged will be pursued; special subscription plans, for example for soldiers, will be introduced; and students from low-income households will be able to access educational content free of charge.

In addition, support will be given to develop Able Tech, technologies designed to make life more convenient for the underprivileged, and related public services will be expanded so that people with disabilities and seniors can easily try new telecommunication devices.

Fellow Koreans, A great transition has just begun for the Republic of Korea. Many countries and businesses around the globe are paying attention to each step we make along a new path that no one else in the world has taken. We’ve always responded proactively to changes. Now, we are set to lead world-class innovation. In the 5G era, what we conceive and create will become the global standard. Let’s never pause in the race to the world’s best.

Thank you.

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49.

‌ APRIL 09, 2019

REMARKS ON CENTENNIAL OF PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT AT 14th CABINET MEETING

Let me begin the 14th Cabinet Meeting.

I am very sorry for not being able to attend the ceremony that day, but I join all Koreans, overwhelmed with excitement, in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Provisional Republic of Korea Government.

I intend to reflect on its significance with all of you here and renew our commitment.

I bow my head low in profound reverence and gratitude to all of those who devoted themselves to the cause of independence, including the Provisional Government officials. They helped create today’s Republic of Korea by aspiring to self-reliant independence and a new nation.

The Provisional Government is the root of the Republic of Korea and the driving force that has forged what this country is today. Born of the March First Independence Movement, the Provisional Government fulfilled its mission as a rallying point for the self-reliant independence movement against Japanese imperialists until the liberation of Korea.

The Provisional Government set its sights on building a new country that would transcend liberation and independence. Shifting from the Great Han Empire to the Republic of Korea, the history of a democratic republic began with the Provisional Government. From within, it declared popular sovereignty and the people’s basic rights, and from without, it proclaimed its intent to contribute to the culture and peace of humanity. A noble ideal was contained in the official state name “the Republic of Korea.”

The Government of the Republic of Korea that was formed after Korea’s liberation inherited the principles of popular sovereignty and a democratic republic in their entirety along with the Provisional Government’s state name, national flag and year of foundation. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea clearly stipulates that the Republic’s legitimacy lies in the cause of the

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Provisional Government with a pledge to carry on and realize our ancestors’ yearning for democracy and peace.

Over the past century, the Republic of Korea has pulled off remarkable achievements. This miraculous feat is unprecedented in the world. Overcoming dire poverty, it has grown to emerge as the world’s 11th largest economy. It has become the seventh country in the world to join the 30-50 club of economic powerhouses with a population of over 50 million and per capita income exceeding US$30,000. The other six countries all began to develop their economic strength by ruling colonies in the past. Korea is the only one to have joined this club as a country that had newly achieved independence following World War II. Actually, however, we often fail to properly recognize our own merits. “Made in Korea” used to mean low- and mid-priced products with relatively good quality for the price, but now it stands for excellent products and a refined culture represented by the Korean Wave that has taken the world by surprise.

Also remarkable is the nation’s history of realizing popular sovereignty and advancing democracy. From the April 19 Revolution, the Busan-Masan Democratic Protests, the May 18 Democratization Movement and the June 10 Struggle to the candlelight revolution, the people have played a leading role in developing democracy. People around the world marvel at our ability to advance democracy – how our people have written a new chapter in the history of democracy.

The Republic of Korea that successfully achieved both economic development and democratization: this is the way people around the world identify us.

Many countries yearn to learn from our economic growth and development.

We fully deserve to be proud of ourselves. Building on this foundation, we are now forging ahead toward the future, rising to new challenges.

It is truly unfortunate that, instead of viewing our history as it is, some people are showing a tendency to disparage the 100 years of accomplishments that the people have achieved. Denigrating the achievements of the Republic of Korea is tantamount to relinquishing our pride on our own. When we have positive thinking based on our past historical achievements, we will be able to make headway toward a better future.

Our Government is the first government to start another century by inheriting ideals and aspirations set forth by the Provisional Government one hundred years ago. Since the significance is exceptional, our resolve needs to be

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exceptional as well.

The national achievements that have been obtained over the past century under the name of the Republic of Korea now should be brought to fruition for the lives of the people. The fruit of national accomplishments attained by the people’s blood and sweat should return to all the people. This constitutes an era in which the people are rightful owners and the people thrive. Society should no longer force the people to sacrifice. We should step forward to build a society in which everyone prospers together by removing the shadow of economic inequality and polarization. This is why we intend to establish the basis for another century – to build an innovative, inclusive nation in which innovation leads growth and everyone, through inclusiveness, enjoys the benefits together.

Fair opportunities must be guaranteed for everyone. We should, without fail, end the era of privilege and deceit in which the privileged conspire, collude and pursue a symbiotic relationship with each other and cause frustration and inflict hardships on the daily lives of the people. A just and fair society constitutes a strong foundation for the coming century.

The next one hundred years should advance in a way that creates a new century that is qualitatively different from the past. We need to usher in an era of peace and prosperity by standing in the center of history, not the periphery. This will be the Korean Peninsula’s new era. Now, we are doing all we can to advance the peace process on the Peninsula. I will visit the United States tomorrow for a Korea-U.S. summit. I will do my utmost to help North Korea and the United States resume dialogues as early as possible and produce tangible results.

For another century, we will inherit the commitment of our forefathers and accept the calling requested by the new era. We will audaciously step forward together with the people to make the Republic of Korea an innovative and inclusive nation; a nation of justice; and a Korean Peninsula of peace and prosperity.

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50.

APRIL 17, 2019

REMARKS AT JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING KOREA-TURKMENISTAN SUMMIT

Thank you. I am truly grateful to President Berdimuhamedov and the people of Turkmenistan for warmly welcoming me and my delegation.

This is my first visit to Central Asia after my inauguration. Central Asia is a region holding longstanding connections with Korea from ancient times.

Among the countries in the area, Turkmenistan, which harbors resplendent Silk Road culture, became the first destination for my state visits this time, and it is very meaningful for me.

Since its independence in 1991, Turkmenistan has continued to achieve remarkable economic development while contributing to peace and stability in Central Asia. I pay my respect to the tenacity and resilience of the Turkmen people who even withstand desert storms.

Its relations with Korea have also made steady progress. Our two countries have become mutually beneficial partners thanks to the two visits to Korea by President Berdimuhamedov.

More than anything else, our two countries share a vision for peace and prosperity in Eurasia. To realize it, the Korean Government is implementing the New Northern Policy, which was welcomed by President Berdimuhamedov today. For my part, I expressed my high regard for Turkmenistan’s strategy to become a transport hub in the region, which will lead Central Asia’s stability and advancement. We agreed to carry out our respective policies in harmony to strengthen Eurasian connectivity.

Moreover, we had in-depth discussions about concrete cooperative measures for the common prosperity of our two nations.

First, we agreed to step up cooperation in the educational and cultural sectors to promote bonds of friendship between our two peoples.

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Reflecting this, an MOU on cooperation in the fields of culture and humanities was signed. We agreed to increase the number of Korean language courses and open a King Sejong Institute in Turkmenistan. A program to invite Turkmen students to Korea for training will also be expanded.

I hope our two peoples will be able to exchange and communicate in diverse areas, including culture, arts, tourism, education and sports, while getting to know and understand each other.

Second, we concurred on further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation that can be sensed by the people of our two countries.

As seen by the Kiyanly plant, the nation’s first large-scale gas chemical complex that was completed last year, Turkmenistan and Korea are optimal cooperation partners. I look forward to many more Korean businesses taking part in energy and plant construction projects, which are currently being pursued by the Government of Turkmenistan.

Today, President Berdimuhamedov noted that he would prioritize cooperation

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with Korean businesses, which was a truly encouraging remark. We will strive to make the most of our two countries’ respective strengths in order to identify the second and third opportunities for cooperation like the one in Kiyanly.

We also agreed to join forces to nurture industrial professionals. Through a capacity-building project by the Gas Vocational Training Center of the Korea International Cooperation Agency and a project to train plant engineering professionals, our two countries will nurture high-caliber engineers and exchange information, thereby raising our industrial competitiveness.

Third, we came to an agreement to redouble our efforts for cooperation in areas directly linked to the everyday lives of our two countries’ people such as healthcare and medical services as well as digital applications.

Especially noteworthy is the fact that various institutional foundations for cooperation have been laid this time between our two countries’ healthcare authorities and private medical institutions. In particular, they incorporate an e-health master plan that features the digitalization of medical information and the establishment of a telemedicine system, so expectations are high.

Cooperation in healthcare and medical services between our countries will help our two peoples lead a healthy and happy life.

As evidenced by the recent launch of 5G commercial service for the first time in the world, Korea has strength in the information and communication sector. I look forward to Korea participating in projects to expand Turkmenistan’s digital infrastructure based on the “ICT MOU” signed on the occasion of my sate visit this time.

President Berdimuhamedov and I came to a common understanding on the importance of environmental issues. Of particular note, we agreed to share our two countries’ experiences and technologies for forestation as well as resolving water shortage problems. I expressed my gratitude and welcome to Turkmenistan upon the recent announcement of its intention to join the Global Green Growth Institute. I hope that our environmental cooperation, including the restoration of the Aral Sea, will contribute to Central Asia’s stability and prosperity.

Finally, we decided to closely work together for the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and the Central Asian region. President Berdimuhamedov has worked with and supported the Korean Government in its efforts to achieve denuclearization and the settlement of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. The dream of peace and prosperity on the Peninsula

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stretches across Eurasia. Turkmenistan’s support and encouragement will be a great boost going forward. I extend my gratitude once more.

I expressed my respect for Turkmenistan’s endeavors for peace in the region, including its assistance for Afghanistan’s stabilization. Korea will also work together Central Asia’s shared growth and common progress. I am looking forward to expanding cooperation while closely communicating through the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum Secretariat.

As assessed by President Berdimuhamedov, the summit today served as a very valuable opportunity for us to share each other’s vision and discuss concrete plans for the common prosperity of both countries.

I am confident that our meeting today will prove to be a significant milestone that allows not only the two leaders but also the people of our two countries to become closer friends.

Thank you.

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51.

APRIL 19, 2019

REMARKS AT JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING KOREA-UZBEKISTAN SUMMIT

Assalam Alaikum (Good morning)!

I am truly grateful to President Mirziyoyev and the people of Uzbekistan for warmly welcoming me and my delegation.

I am pleased to see President Mirziyoyev again; he is like a brother to me.

Your Excellency is leading Uzbekistan’s new development with reform policies across all sectors, including politics, the economy and society. I sincerely respect President Mirziyoyev who is attracting global attention.

President Mirziyoyev and I agreed to upgrade bilateral relations between our two countries to a special strategic partnership and discussed concrete implementation plans.

First, we agreed to make efforts for the promotion of friendship between our two peoples. During his visit to Korea in 2017, President Mirziyoyev said that culture is the most important element in bilateral relations because it can bring us closer. We also reached agreement to expand cultural exchanges and work together to preserve cultural heritage in Uzbekistan, including the Afrosiab mural. The House of Korean Culture and Arts, which is to open tomorrow, will become a venue for cultural exchanges and a symbol of the friendship between our two countries. I express my appreciation to President Mirziyoyev for attending the opening ceremony with me.

Second, we agreed to continue our efforts to identify and push ahead with concrete, substantive cooperative projects. We also reached agreement to improve relevant laws and institutions to help further expand bilateral trade, which reached a record high last year. As a first step, the agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments as well as the double taxation avoidance agreement were amended, and I hope this will go a long way toward the stable operation of our two countries’ businesses.

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We concurred on conducting a joint study for the conclusion of a KoreaUzbekistan FTA and continuing to identify bilateral cooperation models that utilize our two countries’ complementary industrial structures. As part of a joint response to the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we agreed to strengthen cooperation in such new industries as ICT, 5G, big data, artificial intelligence, and healthcare and medical services. The Korea-Uzbekistan Agricultural Machinery R&D Center, which will open during this state visit, is an excellent example of mutually beneficial cooperation. The KoreaUzbekistan center for cooperation in healthcare and medical services that our two countries have agreed to establish will help protect the health of the people and serve as a breakthrough for common prosperity.

Third, we concurred on closely working together for peace and prosperity not only on the Korean Peninsula and in Central Asia but also in the whole of Eurasia. President Mirziyoyev has actively assisted in the Korean Government’s efforts to achieve denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, he is leading the efforts for harmony and cooperation in Central Asia. I express my support for this steadfast work toward peace.

Peace is linked to mutual prosperity. We agreed to harmoniously connect Uzbekistan’s regional cooperation strategy for Central Asia with the Korean Government’s New Northern Policy, thereby achieving common prosperity in Eurasia together.

The Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum has developed into a good example for multilateral collaboration and will be upgraded to a ministeriallevel meeting this year to mark its 12th anniversary. We agreed to work closely together so that this forum can help further expand Korea-Central Asia cooperation.

Today’s summit will become a milestone that presents the direction of our two countries’ development. Expressing my gratitude for your warm hospitality once more, I am looking forward to meeting Your Excellency again in Korea.

Rahmat! (Thank you)

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52.

APRIL 19, 2019

ADDRESS AT LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER OF REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

Distinguished people of Uzbekistan, Chairman of the Senate Nigmatilla Yuldashev, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber Nuriddinjon Ismailov and members of the Supreme Assembly, I am honored to have this chance to speak at the Legislative Chamber of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the first time for a president of the Republic of Korea.

President Mirziyoyev, in his inauguration held here in the Legislative Chamber in December 2016, stressed that the people must not serve government bodies, rather government bodies must serve the people.

He installed an online suggestions and complaint box to personally sound out public opinion. In 2017, he decisively implemented measures to liberalize the country’s foreign exchange market. Recently, parliamentary approval became required for the appointment of all Cabinet members.

I pay respect to the endeavors of President Mirziyoyev and the Supreme Assembly members who are running state affairs while honoring the will of the people.

Distinguished people of Uzbekistan, On my way here, I imagined a day 1,500 years ago. That was the day when envoys from an ancient Korean kingdom arrived in Samarkand. It might have taken them some two months had they traveled by horse or swift-footed camel without much rest. It might have taken more than that had they encountered rain and snow while crossing mountain ranges, plateaus and deserts or had to fight against heat waves or cold snaps.

The Uzbeks must have welcomed these guests from afar 1,500 years ago as warmly as you all do today. The deep friendship and trust shared between them led the Uzbeks to depict them on the Afrosiab mural’s west wall, its

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most important section. As this scene shows, Korea and Uzbekistan, although geographically far apart, have been friends exchanging envoys from the era of ancient kingdoms.

My imagination has sparked a vision of traveling by train from Seoul, Korea, across the Eurasian Continent to reach a magnificent station in Tashkent. Just as our ancient kingdoms interacted through the Silk Road, I dreamed of our two nations linked by the “Iron Silk Road” of the 21st century and prospering together.

The Korean people will be able to grow here together with the boundless development potential of Central Asia. The people of Uzbekistan, a doubly landlocked country, will be able to reach out to the Pacific, the largest ocean on earth, and share the future with Korea, the homeland of Uzbek citizens of Korean ancestry.

Connecting our two countries by rail is a new vision for prosperity that draws Central Asia and the Pacific together. It would be as if the ancient figures in the mural were brought back to life and clasp hands. Doesn’t just the thought

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of it make your heart leap?

Distinguished Uzbek citizens, A proverb states that a home visited by guests will become affluent. Humanity has progressed and prospered through exchanges and communication. I believe this old saying reflects the wisdom of the Uzbek people who have gained insights into the history of human interaction.

Uzbekistan abounds in great legacies born out of exchanges between East and West. The roots of today’s cutting-edge science and technology, represented

by ICT, healthcare and aerospace, date back to the distant past and touch Uzbekistan.

Methods of calculation compiled by mathematician Al-Khwarizm developed into an algorithm that bears his name and later culminated in the birth of ICT. The Canon of Medicine authored by Ibn Sina, a native of Bukhara, helped save countless lives and evolved into modern medicine. Sultan Ulugh Beg, the grandson of Amir Timur, advanced astronomy through a sophisticated observatory and accurate calculations. His “Catalogue of Stars” was the basis for calendar production during Korea’s Joseon period.

Exchanges mean innovation, that is to say prosperity. The history of Uzbekistan offers the most compelling evidence. I am convinced that exchanges with Uzbekistan, a longtime friend of Korea, will lead to 21st-centery innovations, thereby bringing forth mutual prosperity.

Last year saw our two countries' trade reach a record high of US$2.1 billion.

As evidenced by approximately 600 Korean businesses now operating in Uzbekistan, trade and investments between our two countries are steadily rising.

In the energy and infrastructure sectors alone, 91 Korean businesses are involved in 125 projects which have already been successfully completed or are currently underway, amounting to US$10.7 billion in total. Through the Global Green Growth Institute, our two countries have also begun joining forces in earnest to respond to global climate and environmental issues.

Today, my friend and brother President Mirziyoyev and I agreed to further deepen the relations between our two countries. Bilateral relations will be upgraded to a special strategic partnership, and an institutional foundation will be strengthened to promote exchanges between our two nations.

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We reached agreement on jointly preparing for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by working together in new ICT industries, including 5G, big data and artificial intelligence. We also concurred on policy exchanges in the advanced space sector, nurturing professionals together and cooperating on the establishment of a satellite direct receiving station.

In healthcare, it was agreed that the Korea-Uzbekistan Cooperation Center for Healthcare and Medical Services – to be opened on the occasion of this state visit – will play a central role in Korea’s participation in Uzbekistan’s healthcare and medical services reform. Cooperation in the field of e-health that features the application of 5G technologies will dramatically improve the medical care system, thereby not only protecting the health of the people but also helping develop an innovative industry.

After declaring 2017 the Year of Dialogue with People and Human Interests and 2018 the Year of Supporting Active Entrepreneurship, Innovative Ideas and Technologies, Uzbekistan has designated this year as the Year of Active Investment and Social Development. I hope Uzbekistan's vision to improve the lives of its people through communication, openness and innovation will produce even greater results through cooperation with Korea.

Distinguished people of Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan is a country to which Korea is especially grateful. Koreans consider Uzbekistan a country defined by profound brotherly love and love for humanity. In 1937 when numerous ethnic Koreans were forced to relocate here from the Russian Far East, the people of Uzbekistan warmly embraced those unprepared to settle in a new land because of the unexpected deportation.

Even amid hardship caused by war, the people of Uzbekistan lent a helping hand to ethnic Koreans who were completely at a loss to find ways to make a living. Thanks to this help, they were able to safely make it through the winter and start life anew here in Uzbekistan.

On the strength of Uzbekistan’s spirit of hashar to help each other in times of need, ethnic Koreans were also able to make contributions to Uzbek society.

This is a proud chapter in history for the people of our two countries. Korea has always remained grateful.

In 1992, the year following Uzbekistan’s independence, Uzbekistan and Korea established diplomatic relations. That same year, then-President Islam

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Karimov, Uzbekistan’s first president, became the first of the Commonwealth of Independent States’ 11 leaders to visit Korea.

Since then, our two countries have rapidly drawn closer to each other; Four years after the establishment of diplomatic ties, an auto assembly plant was founded in Tashkent through an Uzbek-Korean joint venture, and a textile plant that exclusively uses Uzbekistan’s raw cotton was also built.

Bilateral exchanges initiated in this way have expanded to the extent that over 600 Korean businesses are now operating in such various fields as energy, automobiles, textile, logistics, information technology and finance.

From President Karimov’s visit to Korea to my current visit to Uzbekistan, our two countries’ heads of state have met as many as 16 times, and bilateral relations have developed in a way that involves close cooperation in nearly all areas, including politics, the economy, society, culture, science and technology as well as international issues.

The people of our two countries have also become closer as they gained respect for and came to understand each other’s culture. Navruz, Uzbekistan’s biggest holiday, which heralds the start of spring, and Seollal, Korea’s biggest holiday, which marks Lunar New Year, share much in common. Citizens tidy up their houses, prepare holiday meals, put on new clothes and visit relatives, and children pay their respect to elders who, in return, wish them well.

When ethnic Koreans in Tashkent celebrate Seollal every year, their Uzbek neighbors share Korean foods, and they both enjoy each other’s culture.

In places in Korea where Uzbeks have settled, neighbors celebrate Navruz together and welcome a new spring.

It is amazing that our two countries have such similar traditional cultures.

Korea has become fond of Uzbek culture through the 70,000 Uzbeks residing in Korea, and its interest in Central Asia is growing. Uzbeks learn Korean and taekwondo and enjoy Korean TV dramas and K-pop.

Sharing deep mutual understanding and favorable impressions, our two countries have developed brotherly relations that are envied by many although the history of our diplomatic ties dates back fewer than 30 years. The closer the relations between the people of our two countries become, the sooner the dream of common prosperity can be realized.

People of Uzbekistan, Chairman of the Senate Yuldashev, Speaker of the

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Legislative Chamber Ismailov and other members of the Supreme Assembly, Like the proverb that says, “What protects almonds is a shell, while what protects people is a friend,” Uzbekistan, as a brother of Korea, has actively supported denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In early 2000, Uzbekistan dispatched officials to Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization projects on seven occasions in total. To support the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games’ success, it also jointly proposed the Olympic Truce Resolution for PyeongChang at the United Nations General Assembly in November 2017. I want to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation on behalf of the Korean people.

Permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula is linked to our mutual prosperity.

Uzbekistan proposed a plan to establish the Central Asian Nuclear-WeaponFree Zone (CANWFZ) at the U.N. General Assembly in 1993, and the CANWFZ treaty finally took effect in 2009 through persistent dialogues and efforts with surrounding nations.

The precedent of denuclearization in Central Asia provides lessons and inspiration for the Korean Government, which is striving to achieve complete denuclearization and the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Mirziyoyev is also leading the efforts to achieve regional harmony and cooperation in Central Asia. Last year, a Central Asia summit was held for the first time in nine years.

I express my respect for Uzbekistan’s efforts for peace. Last December, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to reconnect inter-Korean railroads on the Peninsula amid support and congratulations from the international community. Undoubtedly, we will be able to meet all across the Continent one day.

Uzbekistan and Korea have formed an exceptional relationship enjoyed by no other countries. We have held a special affinity for each other for a long time and engaged in bilateral exchanges based on profound understanding and friendship.

The development of Uzbekistan is equivalent to that of Korea. Korea will readily share its economic development experiences with Uzbekistan. Once more, my appreciation goes out to the people of Uzbekistan and the members of the Supreme Assembly who arranged this extraordinary occasion.

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Now, exchanges between our two countries will lead to innovation and prosperity. New exchanges will enable us to etch another chapter of history on each other’s murals, and we will pass our two countries’ brotherly love onto future generations.

Thank you!

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53.

APRIL 22, 2019

REMARKS AT JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING KOREA-KAZAKHSTAN SUMMIT

First and foremost, I am truly grateful to President Tokayev and the people of Kazakhstan for inviting me as a state guest and warmly welcoming me and my delegation.

This year is significant as it marks the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership established between Kazakhstan and Korea. I am very pleased to be able to have candid, heart-to-heart discussions with Your Excellency about the future of cooperation between our two countries in this important year.

Since its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has made the most remarkable economic development among countries in Central Asia. It is a harvest reaped through the vision of the first President Nazarbayev and President Tokayev as great leaders and the Kazakh people’s hard work.

Kazakhstan has laid out its “Strategy Kazakhstan-2050” plan for national development and is now spurring its endeavors to emerge as one of the world’s 30 established states. For its part, Korea is implementing the New Northern Policy, as one of its priorities, with a view to achieving peace and common prosperity in Eurasia.

Today, we had extensive discussions on how to deepen bilateral relations by harmoniously linking our two nations’ policies.

First, we agreed to expand forward-looking cooperation.

To jointly respond to the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our two countries will actively seek substantive collaboration in cutting-edge industries, including ICT, 5G, big data and the Internet of Things. The KoreaKazakhstan international IT cooperation center scheduled to be set up in NurSultan will play a pivotal role in future cooperation between our two countries.

I look forward to the center contributing to increasing exchanges in the fields of state-of-the-art technology and innovative industries as well as nurturing

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Kazakh professionals.

We agreed to actively identify cooperative infrastructure construction projects and break ground for the new Almaty Ring Road on the occasion of this state visit. The Almaty Ring Road is significant in that it is the first publicprivate partnership project in Central Asia that involves Korean businesses. In addition, an agreement was reached to establish a Korean car manufacturing plant, and businesspeople and government officials from both countries met yesterday to hold related events. I look forward to the success of this project as a leading example of our two countries’ cooperation.

In healthcare and medical services, we reached agreement to push ahead with diverse cooperative projects involving e-health as well as the exchange of technology and professionals. Cooperation in healthcare and medical services that are directly linked to the quality of life will help improve the health and wellbeing of our two peoples.

We two leaders adopted a “Fresh Wind” program that covers all of these new cooperative projects. I am very pleased that our two countries will be able to promote substantive cooperation in a more systematic way. I look forward to bilateral cooperation being expanded into such new areas as space and the defense industry.

Second, we agreed to further promote people-to-people exchanges between our two countries.

We decided to designate the year 2022, which marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic ties, as the year of mutual cultural exchanges and agreed to carry out various cultural exchange events. Not long ago, an exhibition titled “Kazakhstan - The Cradleland of the ‘Golden Man’” was held at the National Museum of Korea, attracting much interest and positive reviews.

It is all the more pleasing to hear that there will be diverse cultural performances in Kazakhstan to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our two countries’ strategic partnership this year. I hope that our two peoples will be able to feel more closely connected while enjoying Korean films as well as traditional music and Hanbok together.

Our two countries also concurred on strengthening cooperation in the judicial field. The Treaty for the Transfer of Sentenced Persons signed during this visit will help bring safety as well as conveniences and benefits to a new level for the

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people of our two countries.

Third, we two leaders agreed to continue to closely work together for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Central Asia.

Today, President Tokayev welcomed the Korean Government’s efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and said he would continue to provide active support. It was a great boost, indeed. Thank you. Kazakhstan’s denuclearization experience has inspired the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula. We agreed to continue relevant dialogues and cooperation.

Moreover, we highly praised the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, which has developed into a framework of multilateral collaboration among Korea and five Central Asian nations. The 12th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum will be upgraded into a ministerial-level meeting and held here in Nur-Sultan this coming October. Welcoming this news, we agreed to work closely together for its success. We also decided to make joint efforts to enhance the role of the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum Secretariat, which opened in Seoul in 2017 as a regular communication channel between

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Korea and Central Asia.

I will not forget the heart-to-heart talks I had with President Tokayev today. The friendship and trust between our two peoples and between the leaders make a strong foundation for bilateral relations. I hope that we will communicate and work more closely with each other in a bid to develop our strategic partnership in a more substantive and forward-looking manner.

I express my gratitude once more for your warm hospitality.

Rahmat! (Thank you)

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54.

APRIL 26, 2019

REMARKS AT PRESENTATION FOR PEACE ECONOMY VISION STRATEGY (8th STOP OF NATIONWIDE ECONOMIC TOUR: GANGWON-DO PROVINCE)

Fellow Koreans and residents of Gangwon-do Province, I am pleased to meet you all.

Gangwon-do is where people and nature harmonize together. It is where the people show concern for neighbors and look after nature with unassuming minds. Meandering hills merge together to become tall and steep mountains.

Just like Geumgangsan, Seoraksan, Odaesan, Taebaeksan and Chiaksan, we also mingle as naturally as mountain ranges when we come to Gangwon-do.

In the face of the inferno that devastated Gangwon-do on April 4, we demonstrated our strength. Gangwon-do residents put their neighbors’ safety first even at dangerous moments. Watching them take care of one another on their own initiatives, the whole country was moved to act. They proved that we can definitely prevail – even over disasters beyond human control – as long as we are willing to help others as if remedying our own needs. I extend my profound respect and appreciation as well as sympathies to the residents of Gangwon-do.

It is not too much to say that the Republic of Korea stands on the sacrifices of Gangwon-do. Approximately three fifth of the truce line stretches across Gangwon-do, and its residents have put up with disadvantages for the sake of the Republic of Korea’s security. The water that some 25 million residents of the greater Seoul area drink also flows from Gangwon-do. Mountains that occupy 82 percent of the land of Gangwon-do serve as the lungs of the Republic of Korea.

Gangwon-do residents have had to endure many restrictions so that we could have security as well as clean water and air. Living with such difficulties, they have quietly prepared for the era of peace.

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In 1998 – for the first time in the country – it was none other than Gangwondo that created an organization exclusively charged with inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation. The ARI Sports Cup U-15 International Football Tournament that started in 2014 is one of the iconic peace exchange programs that have continued without interruption even during the period of disrupted inter-Korean relations. In September 2018, an ordinance on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation was enacted, and the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation fund was raised to prepare for the era of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Eventually in the winter of early 2018, Gangwon-do brought a spring of peace to the Republic of Korea. The PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games were the most successful “peace Olympics” in history. The South and North took down the wire fences in our minds and clasped hands. Athletes from the two Koreas marched together at the opening ceremony and sweated together on a unified team.

The “Peace Economy, Gangwon Vision” to be announced today contains the Gangwon-do residents’ aspirations for peace and all of the experience with inter-Korean exchanges gained over the past 20 years. We at the Government will roll up our sleeves for Gangwon-do. The Government will do its utmost to support Gangwon-do’s initiative for the peace-driven economy.

Residents of Gangwon-do and local business leaders, Peace tourism constitutes the linchpin of the peace economy that Gangwondo envisions. Goseong, the northernmost part of the Demilitarized Zone, is now being transformed into a peace zone where South and North Korea meet. At Arrowhead Hill in Cheorwon, a road penetrating the center of the Korean Peninsula was reconnected. The scenic routes of Badabuchaegil in Gangneung and Badahyanggi-ro in Sokcho have now become tourist attractions.

On April 2, the Government convened an “Expanded Tourism Strategy Meeting” and announced a strategy for peace tourism and eco-tourism. In the Demilitarized Zone from which guard posts were withdrawn, a trail of peace will be created to enable first-hand experiences with security and peace. A DMZ international peace music festival and a documentary film festival will be held, and the zone will be turned into the heartland of peace tourism featuring history, ecology and culture.

We will strive to make the zone a place that comes to mind whenever people

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around the world think of peace on the Korean Peninsula and one that everyone wants to visit. We will also continue our efforts to resume tours to Geumgangsan as early as possible. Gangwon-do’s land, sky and sea have what it takes to open a path toward peace that stretches well beyond the Korean Peninsula.

In my address to the Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan last week, I described a dream about a 21st century “Iron Silk Road.” It was about an enthralling desire to connect Central Asia with the Pacific. We will be able to traverse the Eurasian continent by taking the Donghae Bukbu Line. The day will come when people will travel all the way from the opposite side of the continent and stop to enjoy the sea off Gangneung.

We will strive to reconnect the Line’s southern section between Gangneung and Jejin at the earliest date possible. The Donghae Bukbu Line will serve as the main artery for the development of Gangwon-do, and, through the Iron Silk Road, the Korean Peninsula will be able to emerge as a logistics hub in Northeast Asia.

The second Gyeongchun national highway to connect Metropolitan Seoul

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with Gangwon-do was exempted from a preliminary feasibility study in January this year. Fly Gangwon, a commercial airline that will use Yangyang International Airport as its base, obtained an international air transport license last March. Gangwon-do also envisions being connected to other continents through cruise ships. The peace economy era will dawn in earnest through routes that traverse the land, sky and sea of Gangwon-do.

The “Peace Economy, Gangwon Vision,” to be unveiled today, contains concrete plans to help realize Gangwon-do’s dream. I am confident that with the kind of capacity exhibited by Gangwon-do residents to date, it can be achieved without fail. There is no other place than Gangwon-do that can better realize that peace equals economic growth. Through tours to Geumgangsan, Gangwon-do has already experienced firsthand that peace can drive economic growth.

The Government will provide its full support. It already confirmed a comprehensive development plan for border areas in February. Nearly 5.9 trillion won will be invested in Gangwon-do by 2030. Cultural, sports, welfare facilities and other infrastructure related to everyday life will be significantly increased in Chuncheon, Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje and Goseong, thereby improving the quality of life for residents living in border regions.

Now, our men and women in uniform can leave their bases even on weekdays.

We will continue to take interest in creating spaces where they can enjoy rest and cultural activities off base. This will put strength behind invigorating the regional economy.

Efforts will be made to ensure that economic vitality will permeate every nook and cranny of Gangwon-do. The Wonju area, the center of an innovative city and state-of-the-art medical equipment technology cluster, will be cultivated as a foothold in the country’s midsection. We will support Hoengseong’s Gangwon-do-styled, mutually beneficial employment project based on the e-mobility industry, and we will extend our full interest and assistance to Chuncheon’s hydrothermal energy data center and Samcheok’s hydrogen city project.

Fellow Koreans, Gangwon-do residents and local businesspeople, Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the announcement of the “ *Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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Peninsula.” One year ago, the South and North proclaimed to the whole world that a new era of peace had dawned.

The “Peace Economy, Gangwon Vision” to be unveiled today by Gangwondo will become a new milestone toward peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. In a bold journey toward achieving denuclearization and establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, the Government, together with Gangwon-do, will prepare for the era of a peace-driven economy on the Peninsula.

Let us show the strengths of Gangwon-do. The strength to help each other; the strength to bear, endure and look far ahead; the strength to hold nature dear and love peace – these strengths of Gangwon-do will serve as a new beginning for the Korean Peninsula.

Thank you.

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55.

APRIL 27, 2019

VIDEO MESSAGE ON 1st ANNIVERSARY OF PANMUNJOM DECLARATION

It has been a year since the *Panmunjom Declaration was announced on that day of overwhelming emotions. I am grateful to you all for joining us in celebrating its first anniversary.

We are entitled to live in peace. We have the potential to set our sights beyond the Korean Peninsula and reach out to the continent. We have grown wise enough not to be swayed by ideology. We know all too well that we can usher in a new future only when we connect and come together as one.

The agreements in the Panmunjom Declaration are being implemented one by one. Both South and North Korea withdrew guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone and are working together to unearth the remains of soldiers killed during the Korean War. West Sea fishing grounds have been further opened up and made safe. South and North Korea remain in regular contact through the joint liaison office in Kaesong and have completed preparations to reconnect railroads and roads.

This is a new path, and as we all must take it together, we need, sometimes, to wait for those moving slower to catch up. In the face of obstacles, sometimes, we need to catch our breath for a while and find the way together.

This is a path toward peace on which we all – the South and the North – have set off together. A large river twists and turns but reaches the sea in the end. As years go by following the Panmunjom Declaration, we will encounter an irreversible peace on the Korean Peninsula in which everyone prospers together.

Remembering those who fulfilled their calling in ways unseen, I ask the mountain birds on the footbridge how they are doing. I appreciate all the people who have opened the chapter of this historic Declaration. I also extend my greetings to Chairman Kim Jong Un and the people of North Korea. Thank you. * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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56.

APRIL 30, 2019

REMARKS AT CEREMONY TO UNVEIL SYSTEM SEMICONDUCTOR VISION

Fellow Koreans, “Made in Korea” has now become a reliable household name to people around the world. It has come to signify cutting-edge and refined products and culture. I am truly proud when I see Korean-made goods all over the world.

With the sweat and endeavors of our people, including workers, engineers and researchers; with the dedication of those parents investing in their children’s education; and with the businesses and the government investing in technologies and people, we have gradually worked to achieve a proud harvest: People across the globe have trust in and love for “Made in Korea” products.

Memory semiconductors have in particular played a leading role in changing the perception of Korean-made products abroad. When we first entered the memory semiconductor market, our prospects for success were viewed negatively around the world. However, we succeeded beyond all expectations.

With the development of a 64K DRAM chip in 1983, we gained confidence in ourselves. In 1992, we succeeded in developing a 64M DRAM for the first time ever. In the ensuing lineup of world firsts for semiconductors, Korea has ranked No.1 from 2002 to present.

The country’s status as the world’s top maker of memory semiconductors has also helped raise the competitiveness of other Korean-made products.

“Made in Korea” goods, equipped with the world’s newest and finest memory semiconductors, have become synonymous with “high-tech.”

The system semiconductor vision and strategy to be presented to the public today harnesses Korea’s status as the world’s top maker of memory semiconductors as a springboard to embark on new challenges. Never settling for what has already been accomplished, it lays out how to arm Korean-made products with a “future” that transcends “high-tech.”

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If we take on the challenge in the system semiconductor field and succeed, we will find ourselves as a true comprehensive semiconductor powerhouse.

Moreover, Korea will become a country that carves out a better future, and Korean-made goods will stand tall as pace-setting products.

Fellow Koreans, While memory semiconductors are responsible for data accumulation, system semiconductors are in charge of data utilization. One smartphone requires over 50 system semiconductors, and a newly rolled out car is embedded with more than 1,000 system semiconductors.

The core areas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – from all electrical goods and electronic devices, big data and the Internet of Things to artificial intelligence – can come about only when system semiconductors are present.

Conventional manufacturing, including automobiles, machinery and home appliances, has also incorporated system semiconductors, thereby changing the manufacturing paradigm.

Currently, the system semiconductor field is more than 1.5 times larger than that for memory semiconductors. Its growth potential is limitless. If it is utilized in robots, bioengineering, automobiles and every other industrial sector, it will become a 300 trillion won market by 2022. New possibilities within the field of system semiconductors are also wide open to Korea.

Korea still accounts for only 3 percent of the system semiconductor field, and even though we rely on imports in cases where semiconductors require advanced technological prowess as with automobiles, bioengineering and mobile phones, we surely have the capacity to be a leader in the global market.

We have fostered world-class R&D professionals and production-technology capabilities. Local businesses have sufficient resources to invest. Our manufacturing industries such as automobiles and electronics rank high in the global market, and our country has commercialized 5G services for the first time in the world. We have strength in manufacturing and ICT sectors.

If cooperation between the two is enhanced, a significant demand for system semiconductors could be created.

Our goal is clear; we aim to emerge as a comprehensive semiconductor powerhouse by securing the world’s No. 1 spot in the system chip foundry sector by 2030 and achieving a 10 percent market share in the fabless area while maintaining the world’s No. 1 position in the memory chip field.

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Fellow Koreans, In order for the system semiconductor industry to succeed, what matters is the investment in people and technology as well as the competitiveness of the industrial ecosystem. In this industry, it is difficult for a talented individual in one sector or one company to succeed alone. Against this backdrop, it’s necessary to enhance cooperation and mutual growth between fabless design companies and foundry partners.

The Government will make intensive investments in people and technology.

We will expand government R&D in the semiconductor field, giving top priority to promising technologies in high demand. Starting next year, a technology development project worth one trillion won will be pursued as part of the efforts to secure original technologies for next-generation semiconductors.

In addition, government R&D will be utilized to foster researchers, and other professionals will be nurtured through newly commissioned “contract-based departments” at colleges and universities. We will also strengthen on-the-job

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training by sector.

Fabless chip companies are the core of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that can turn imagination into reality. Even small and medium-sized enterprises can venture into this field since design and manufacturing are separated. It is also rich soil for technology startups.

The Government will provide active support to fabless startups by raising new funds exclusively for them and establishing a system to provide assistance tailored to different stages of growth. Government support will be bolstered to drastically reduce the biggest hardships facing domestic fabless businesses – from starting a business to designing and producing a prototype.

The semiconductor foundry area has great potential; we can quickly leapfrog into a No. 1 global standing. For the first time in the world, a Korean company has already started producing 7-nanometer semiconductors by using extreme ultraviolet lithography technology.

Samsung Electronics, where we are gathered now, unveiled an ambitious goal to become the world’s leader in the semiconductor foundry business by investing 133 trillion won by 2030. I applaud its setting such a lofty goal, and the Government will provide active support.

The Government will first open up the public sector to help grow the domestic market. It will identify the need for system semiconductors in largescale public projects related to energy, safety and transport that require such products as advanced metering infrastructure and CCTVs. By 2030, it will help generate a demand for 26 million chips in the public sector and a system semiconductor market valued at over 240 billion won in the energy field alone.

The Government will help establish a cooperative system among 5G-related industries; system semiconductor-related businesses; and the five major manufacturing industries, including automobiles and robots, for pump priming to generate private-sector demand.

Fellow Koreans, No country is born a developed nation. No company starts as the world’s best either. Now, the semiconductor field accounts for 20 percent of Korea’s exports and supports 175,000 jobs. We have become a developed nation on our own and fostered companies that lead the world.

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We are moving toward a country where everyone prospers together.

Businesses are announcing new investment plans and schemes to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation. The Korean people and businesses’ determination to take on a challenge and achieve mutual growth is bringing new hope to our future.

The Government will also devise innovation strategies tailored to different fields and spare no support in helping the people and companies take bold steps into new industries.

Korea leads an enormous trend, the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The trust in “Made in Korea” will continue. We can do it.

Thank you.

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CONTRIBUTION This year’s volume carries a special supplement: President Moon Jae-in’s contribution to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), in which he lays out his philosophy and vision regarding how ordinary people can bring about great peace.

2 019 05/10

“The Greatness of the Ordinary” - Reflecting on the new world order

1.

Gwangju Gwangju is a city that symbolizes Korea’s contemporary history. The Korean people owe Gwangju a heartfelt debt, and many Koreans, when they think of Gwangju, still ask themselves repeatedly whether they have been just.

In the spring of 1980, Korea was impassioned by the university students’ democracy movement. The Yusin regime1 had come to an end, but a new military junta2 had seized control of the government. The junta carried out a coup d’état and a harsh dictatorship unfolded. An emergency martial law was declared, politicians were arrested, and political activities were banned. Universities were ordered to suspend classes, public gatherings and demonstrations were banned, press reports were subjected to censorship prior to release and violators of the government degrees were incarcerated without a warrant.

University students demonstrating in front of Seoul Station became concerned that the military government may employ armed suppression, and they decided to withdraw.

Meanwhile, the demands for democratization coming out of Gwangju were becoming increasingly vehement. The military government, which deployed paratroopers, committed a massacre against the civilian population, and this state-sponsored violence resulted in the deaths of many citizens. Gwangju’s flower petals began falling on May 18. The killing in Gwangju continued until the airborne troops took control of the provincial government building on May 27, and the last petal fell to the ground.

1 General Park Chung-hee took power in a coup on May 16, 1961, and his regime dissolved the National Assembly, suspended the Constitution and declared martial law on October 17, 1972. A new electoral college called the National Council for Unification was set up, and Park launched the Fourth Republic on December 23. The new Yusin (維 新 Revitalizing Reform) Constitution, granting Park lifetime dictatorial powers, was announced on December 27.

The government also announced emergency measures banning any public dissent against the Yusin regime, and a crackdown ensued. Park Chung-hee was assassinated on October 26, 1979, and the regime dissolved.

2 Soon after Park Chung-hee was assassinated on October 26, 1979, key members of the Hanahoe, a secret military club led by General Chun Doo-hwan and consisting mainly of graduates from the 11th and 12th classes of the Korea Military Academy, seized power. They organized a coup on December 12, 1979 and put down the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement the following year. The Hanahoe members who carried out the December 12 coup were later named “the new military junta (新軍部)” to set this group apart from the military government that had existed under Park Chung-hee.

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The Gwangju tragedy ended with savage killing, but it caused the Korean people to come to two awakenings and left one task undone. The first realization was that it was average people who faced the brunt of state-sponsored violence. The people who overcame their fear of violence and displayed courage were laborers, farmers, public transport drivers, company employees and high school students. Most of those who died belonged to these groups.

Second, the Korean public became aware that its citizens exercised tremendous self-control, maintaining order even in the face of state-sponsored violence. During the time of the resistance in Gwangju, not a single case of looting or theft occurred, which served as a source of pride and model to be emulated throughout Korea’s subsequent democratization process. Koreans came to understand that acting with integrity is the greatest form of achievement that ordinary people can display to resist unjust authority. Achieving victory through ethical integrity may appear slow, but indeed, it is the fastest way to change the world.

The task that remained was to spread the truth about Gwangju. The Korean democratization movement has been all about exposing the state-sponsored violence inflicted upon Gwangju and bringing to light the hidden facts of the case. I also worked in Busan as a lawyer and took part in the efforts to publicize what happened in Gwangju. Many young people risked their lives and continued to make efforts to revive the Gwangju story; democracy was ultimately found in Korea and Gwangju became sacred place of democratization.

Significantly, the first person to bring the story of a besieged Gwangju to the outside world was a German TV reporter, Jürgen Hinzpeter, who worked in Japan as a foreign correspondent for the German public broadcaster ARD-NDR. Koreans are profoundly grateful to Mr. Hinzpeter. In May 2016, his fingernail clippings and strands of his hair were interred at the May 18th National Cemetery in fulfillment of his last wishes.

2.

Candlelight Revolution, Gwangju Revisited I am bringing up the story of Gwangju in 1980 because I wish to talk about Gwangju today.

Korea’s Candlelight Revolution took place during the winter of 2016, amid bone-chilling weather. The movement began with people asking what kind of country deserves to be called a “properly functioning nation.” Korean society witnessed more severe economic disparities and polarization going through the Asian foreign currency crisis that began in late 1997 as well as a global financial crisis that hit in 2008. The forces of finance and capital strengthened, while the labor environment worsened with the spread of contracted non-regular workers. The public’s sense of loss was made all the more acute by the corrupt practices of the privileged class. Then, the Sewol Ferry capsized while sailing through the

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Maenggol Waterway near Jindo Island off Korea’s southern coast, and hundreds of precious young students died as a result of the absence of proper rescue procedures. In the grip of great sorrow, the Korean people began searching for a new way forward on their own.

The Candlelight Revolution continued for months as parents with their children, mothers pushing baby-carriages, students with their teachers, workers, and businesspeople all came together to heat up the icy surfaces of city plazas and squares around the country. In March 2017, the Korean people, without a single incident of violence, finally removed from power an administration that had violated constitutional values. The most ordinary of people employed the most peaceful of means to safeguard democracy. The spirit of Gwangju in 1980 resurfaced in the Candlelight Revolution of 2017. Ever grateful, I remember the German press that described Korea’s Candlelight Revolution as a “festival of light,” intermingled with songs and public performances, and profusely praised the people for showing a high level of democratic awareness.

The current Korean Administration was born out of the yearnings expressed by the Candlelight Revolution. I will never forget the will of the public, wishing for a nation of justice and fairness. I believe that the kind of nation wished for by the Candlelight Revolution is one in which the ordinary people can secure decent jobs through a fair process and pursue their dreams under the responsibility and protection of a just government.

Sustainable national advancement is possible when ordinary people are happy in their everyday lives. An inclusive nation is one in which people come together to share their strength, individuals can grow along with the entire nation, and the achievements are evenly enjoyed.

Korea is now moving toward an “innovative, inclusive nation.” In this kind of country, anyone can study as much as he or she wants without worrying about the costs, pursue dreams without fear of failure and enjoy a comfortable life after retirement. I believe the challenges assumed and innovations achieved upon this foundation will preserve democracy and drive the Korean economy’s innovative growth.

Achieving “inclusive nation” status is a great experiment in transforming the socioeconomic system to embrace inclusiveness, fairness and innovation.

In the area of employment, an effort is underway to create more jobs of higher quality. A minimum wage increase and reduced working hours are being pursued through social consent so that workers can enjoy a higher quality of life and receive proper pay for the work they perform. The Government has focused on increasing the youth employment budget and training middle-aged people for reemployment so that they can take charge of their post-retirement lives. In addition, we increased the basic pension and the budget for creating new jobs for the elderly.

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Turning to economic issues, our Government has pursued win-win strategies encompassing large companies, which have been the mainstays of the Korean economy, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Regulations have been boldly reduced so that innovative startups and SMEs can grow rapidly, while access to financing has become innovation-friendly.

In the area of welfare, we are building a social safety net tailored to different stages of life.

The scope of national health insurance coverage has been broadened, and the childcare system is being expanded at the state level so that parents need not worry while raising children. In order to create a society that discriminates against no one, the Government has established a comprehensive policy covering each life cycle stage for persons with developmental disorders. In addition, improvements are being made in the protection of women’s rights and interests, and cases of gender bias are dealt with sternly. Greater support is also being given to the children of foreign workers and to multicultural families. In the area of education, the system will be overhauled to provide innovative education that stresses creativity over rote memorization and the competition for college admission.

However, conflict can occur in the process of transformation and the elimination of embedded practices. Time is needed for the interested parties to discuss their concerns with one another, adjust and compromise. And through this, we need to find solutions that benefit everyone. A grand social compromise must accompany this effort for the great experiment to succeed.

The Republic of Korea, once a land devastated by colonization and war, has managed to emerge as the world’s eleventh-largest economy in just over 70 years. We managed to achieve this by quickly responding to change. On our own, we went through an unprecedented national transformation, moving from an agriculture-based economy to light manufacturing, then to the heavy and chemical industries, and finally onto cuttingedge ICT. The Republic of Korea is the only country to gain independence after World War II that has emerged as an advanced economy. We have displayed the potential to succeed after starting with nothing but our bare hands. The Korean people do not fear change; rather, we are a people who use change proactively.

A grand social compromise of significance has been achieved in Gwangju recently. For more than five years, workers and employers as well as the private and public sectors have come together without bickering over individual interests to create more jobs while keeping wages at reasonable levels. The workers had to give up a portion of their pay. Employers suffered difficulties, too, for they had to control their expenses while guaranteeing permanent jobs and assuming responsibility for benefits. The public has stepped up its demands for access to a decent living, posing difficulties for the Government in this compromise as well. The Government had to amend various laws and regulations and provide support to ensure sound corporate operation.

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The tasks were not easy, but in the end the grand social compromise was achieved by making concessions and sharing the pain. In Korea, this is known as “Gwangju-type job creation.” People say that this was the result of the “Gwangju spirit,” sacrificing selfinterests for the greater good. I believe Gwangju, sacred ground in Korea’s democratization, has created a model for the grand social compromise and has taken the first step toward economic democracy.

The Gwangju-type job creation approach carries additional significance, for it reflects the look of a more mature society. This achievement shows how workers, employers and local regions can mutually benefit amid a rapidly changing industrial structure.

Gwangju-type job creation will serve as a critical turning point on the road toward our becoming an “innovative, inclusive nation.” Long experience has taught Koreans that advancing together while achieving social consensus is good for all, even if it appears to be slow. Koreans know that working together while each party makes some concessions will turn out to be the fastest way to get the job done. Gwangju in May 1980 lit the candle of democracy, and in the same way Gwangju-type job creation has offered hope of a new era through social consensus and has become a stepping stone toward our becoming an inclusive nation.

Inclusiveness allows greatness to be found amid the ordinary. It can bring ordinariness together to make change and establish a new environment. The Korean Government is now committed to replicating the success of Gwangju-type job creation nationwide.

Germany is one of the countries that have realized inclusiveness and innovation in the best possible ways. In their recent history, the Germans reunified peacefully and achieved social consensus inclusively and innovatively. Germany’s example continues to inspire Koreans.

Meanwhile, I hope Korea’s Gwangju also inspires many people around the world who are searching for a new social order.

3.

The World of Ordinary People Precisely a century ago, a new era opened in Korea through the collective strength of ordinary people. Koreans were subjected to the colonial rule of the Japanese Empire, and they began their independence manse movement (i.e., publicly shouting “Long Live Independence!”) on March 1, 1919. Some 2.02 million people, or 10 percent of the entire population, took part in the demonstrations. Out in front of the crowds stood nameless people, to include woodcutters, gisaeng (female entertainers), the visually impaired, miners, and serfs.

The March First Independence Movement is crucial to Korea for two key reasons. First,

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civic consciousness blossomed through the movement. The thirst for popular sovereignty, freedom and equality, and peace penetrated individuals’ lives, and in the process the barriers of class, region, gender and religion were lowered. The people went from being royal subjects to being citizens of a country, and the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established in Shanghai.

The Provisional Government’s aspirations were not limited to resisting Japanese imperialism; its members dreamed of establishing an entirely new country. The name “Republic of Korea” was decided on April 11, 1919, and the “Provisional Charter of the Constitution” was promulgated. The Republic of Korea clearly presented itself as a democratic republic rather than as a monarchy. Article 3 of the Provisional Charter stipulated, “All citizens of the Republic of Korea shall be equal, regardless of social class, or whether they are a man or woman, or rich or poor.” All citizens, including women, were guaranteed the right to vote and eligibility for election. Ahn Chang-ho, a Korean independence activist who participated in the establishment of the Provisional Government, had this to say: “In the past, the emperor was just one person, but now our 20 million citizens are all emperors.” This is a truly explicit description of a democratic republic.

The Provisional Government carried out a colonial liberation movement from a place of exile for nearly 27 years. This case is unparalleled in the history of such movements, and the Allied Powers guaranteed Korean independence in their Cairo Declaration, thanks to the work of the Provisional Government.

Second, Koreans came to realize that no force is as great as the bringing together of people’s hearts and minds. They came to trust one another and travel down paths never attempted before. Sim Hun was a modern Korean novelist who participated in the March First Independence Movement. He was incarcerated in a Japanese imperial prison, from which he sent the following message in a letter to his mother: “Mother! We may offer up our prayers a thousand, ten thousand times, but these firmly shut prison doors will not open by themselves. No matter how much we wail and scream, our greatest wishes will not suddenly come true one day. However, no power is as great as when people’s hearts and minds are brought together. Nothing is as formidable as people working together as one. We always trust in that great force.”

Contemporary Korean history is a history of taking on challenges. We overcame colonialism and national division, war and poverty to advance toward democracy and economic development. Ordinary people were the ones who made these waves of historic undertakings possible. During the century following the March First Independence Movement, Koreans have lived while cherishing a wellspring of communal spirit in their hearts. They have acted in concert each time a crisis occurs. “I want to live well, but I do not want to live well alone.” “I want freedom, but I do not want freedom for me alone.”

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Sentiments such as these have been brought together to allow the powerful wave of history to surge forward.

I believe that democracy is not an institution or a tool for running a country; rather, it is a matter of intrinsic value. I consider it to be the way for ordinary people, by participating in the decision-making processes that impact their own lives and letting their voices be heard, to secure their rights as citizens and their dignity as human beings. We can build a better democracy. As John Dewey has said, the solution to the ills of democracy is more democracy.

Democracy spreads as the common people come to respect and complement it. Real democracy is practiced when it reaches individual lives, workplaces and society, beyond formality and establishment of institutional structure. All of these reflect the power of ordinariness, and advancement is achieved by accumulating this ordinariness.

Ordinary people in Korea who fought against the colonial oppression and discrimination they faced a century ago usheredin the era of a democratic republic. The passion for freedom and democracy, peace and equality still holds strong after the passage of a hundred years. The spirit of the March First Independence Movement has been rekindled whenever the country became something other than a “properly functioning nation.”

4.

Peace for the Ordinary There is a saying in East Asia that goes “Heroes emerge in turbulent times.” During turbulent times, however, common folk are unable to make it through life on their own. Heroes may be born, but the common folk fall into misfortune.

The chapter on the Biographies of Sun Zi and Wu Qi (孫子吳起列傳) in the Chinese classic Shiji (史記)3 includes the following passage: “Someone said, ‘Your son is a foot-soldier, yet the general, with his own mouth, sucked his abscess clean. What makes you wail?’” (人曰 子卒也 而將軍自吮其疽 何哭爲) The mother cried because she knew her son was moved by what the general had done, and she feared that her son would fight to the death on the battlefield for his commander. The Shiji goes on to say that that woman’s husband experienced identical care from this same general, then went on to fight resolutely and die in combat.

3 The Shiji (史記 Historian’s Records) was written by Sima Qian (司馬遷) between 109 and 91 BCE. The text of more than 526,500 words is organized into 130 volumes (卷 gwon), which are organized into five different categories: Annals (本紀), in 12 volumes; Treatises (書), in 8 volumes; Tables (表), in 10 volumes; Biographies of the Feudal Houses & Eminent Persons (世家), in 30 volumes; and Biographies & Collective Biographies (列傳), in 70 volumes. The Shiji recounts Chinese history from the time of the legend in high antiquity down to Sima Qian’s own time at the end of the 2nd century BCE. The original name was Records of the Grand Historian (太史公記) but changed to the present name at the end of the Later Han dynasty.

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Sima Qian, the author of the Shiji, wrote the chapter to describe the extraordinary leadership of General Wu Qi, but hidden inside the passage is the miserable plight of the widow who had lost her husband in battle. Woven into the heroic tales that we enjoy are also the tragedies of ordinary people who are deprived of the chance to form their own destiny.

The history of the division of the Korea Peninsula is also stained with the tears and blood of ordinary people. Division has bred antagonism in individuals’ lives and thinking. Division has also been used as the means to protect vested interests, bury political opposition, and enable privilege and deceit. Common folk, during the “turbulent times” of national division, were unable to determine their own destinies. Their freedoms of thought, expression and conscience were suppressed. They took self-censorship for granted and became accustomed to improprieties.

The desire to change this longstanding and contradictory situation is one of the reasons that Koreans carried lit candles. They wanted to usher in peace by upholding democracy. Korea would have been unable to take strides toward peace if the candles had not illuminated the way toward peace. The true hero of the Candlelight Revolution is the powerful solidarity of ordinary people. We need to change the East Asian adage “Heroes emerge in turbulent times” to “The power of the ordinary prevails in turbulent times.”

I believe that human history is a process of change, just like the seasons. The Iron Curtain between East and West Germany has been transformed into the Grünes Band, a greenbelt that runs north and south through the heart of Europe. In the same way, I expect that peace on the Korean Peninsula will not stop at the Demilitarized Zone, running east to west between the two Koreas, but will spread beyond the Korean Peninsula to Northeast Asia and even as far as Europe. Our goal is to fundamentally dissolve the Cold War structure of conflict, division and strife that has gripped the Korean Peninsula for so long and to replace it with a new order based on peace and coexistence, as well as on cooperation and prosperity.

In Korea this ambitious process has been dubbed the New Korean Peninsula Regime.

The New Korean Peninsula Regime signifies a great geopolitical transition for the area.

Geopolitically, the Korean Peninsula has long been a fault line where continental and maritime powers have collided. The situation is like the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, and for this reason Korea has suffered from frequent war historically. Notably, since the Korean Peninsula was divided north and south by the DMZ, the Republic of Korea has been cut off from the mainland and has led an “island-like” existence.

The creation of a new order on the Korean Peninsula means the establishment of a land bridge that connects the Republic of Korea to the continent. I met with Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea at Panmunjeom in April 2018. This was a historic moment, as it was the first time that North Korea’s top leader set foot on South Korean soil since the Korean War. We promised to stop military hostilities between our two sides.

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As a first step in this direction, some of the guard posts were taken down on both sides of the DMZ, and some landmines were removed near the DMZ. Roads connecting the two Koreas across the DMZ were opened, and thirteen sets of war dead remains were unearthed and returned to their respective homelands. In November, troops from the North and South who were involved in these various operations unexpectedly encountered one another on Arrowhead Hill, the site of the last hard-fought battle of the Korean War. They spontaneously lowered their weapons and shook hands – spring had finally returned to the DMZ, 65 years after the armistice was signed.

The onset of the spring on the Korean Peninsula began in Berlin. Following former President Kim Dae-jung, who made his Berlin Declaration in 2000, I came to Berlin in July 2017 to talk again about a new peace initiative that reflected the passion of the Candlelight Revolution. At the time, many dismissed this as simply being wishful thinking. The winter on the Korean Peninsula seemed unlikely to retreat, and North Korea added to the crisis by conducting a series of nuclear tests and missile launches. Other nations responded by steadily strengthening their sanctions. Tensions mounted and rumors that armed confrontation was imminent in April and September of 2017 circulated. The Korean people were worried that an actual war would break out.

I agreed with former Chancellor Willy Brandt when he said, “Small steps are better than no steps at all.” If something is not started, then the people’s longings cannot be realized. A quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also came to mind: “Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” If we hoped to break through the harsh winter and allow sprouts to come forth in spring, we had to discuss the greater dream of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and permanent peace. It had to be a great dream that could be realized together with the people.

During his New Year’s message in January 2018, the North Korean leader expressed his willingness to improve inter-Korean relations, responding to the great dream of the South Korean people. The North then communicated intentions to participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Neighboring countries in East Asia and even those in Europe sent words of support and encouragement to the thaw on the Korean Peninsula. The people in Korea rallied around the desire to make the PyeongChang Olympics the “Peace Olympics.”

When I made my Berlin Declaration, I made four propositions, suggesting to North Korea that “we first start with what is easy.” These were: North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics, reunions among members of separated families, cessation of hostile actions between the North and South, and resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and contacts.

Perhaps surprisingly, all four of these proposals have happened during the past two years.

Last February, the entire world watched as the group of athletes from both Koreas marched together, behind the Unified Peninsula Flag, in the opening ceremony to the PyeongChang Olympics. Meetings of separated family members resumed, and a new system was

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established that permits video reunions any time. Most importantly, the sounds of gunfire have disappeared in the air, on the sea and on the ground around the Korean Peninsula. We opened a liaison office in Kaesong, providing a venue for regular dialogue between the two sides. In this way, spring is just around on the Korean Peninsula.

I have long regretted that my fellow Koreans no longer think about the space beyond the truce line. Should the two Koreas reconcile with each other, lay railroads to connect the two sides, allow goods to be transported and allow people to go back and forth, then the Republic of Korea will no longer be an island. Rather, the Peninsula will become a bridgehead from the sea to the Asian Continent, and a gateway from the mainland to the sea. Expanding the imagination of ordinary people also signifies liberation from ideology.

The scope of the people’s imaginations, living domains, and thinking will also expand greatly, healing the painful wounds from the division that we’ve had to endure for so long.

From now on, the North-South issue should not be misused for ideological or political purposes; rather, it must be expanded into an issue of life and existence for ordinary people.

The North and South represent a community of life in which coexistence is a must. Blights from harmful insects and wildfires could spread to both sides even when people are not allowed to pass. An invisible borderline on the sea threatens fishing rights or can impact the fates of the fishermen who violate the national border unintentionally. Permanent peace is precisely the way to make everything right. This is peace for the lives of the common people, beyond political and diplomatic peace.

The New Korean Peninsula Regime means switching from the passive Cold War order to an active order in the pursuit of peace. In the past, Japanese colonialism and the Cold War prevented the Korean people from determining their own destinies. Today, however, we aim to develop our own way forward. This empowers the common people to take charge of his or her own fate.

The current order on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia is deeply linked to the “Cold War structure” implanted in the region at the end of World War II. In the process of settling post-war matters, the decision was made to divide the Korean Peninsula into two sides against the wishes of the Korean people, who soon were forced to suffer a tragic war.

At this time, a trilateral structure involving the ROK, United States and Japan in the South and an opposing trilateral structure involving the DPRK, China and Russia in the North were implicitly put into place.

This Cold War structure entered into a period of détente in the 1970s, followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and China’s adoption of a market economy in the 1990s.

As such, the confrontation was resolved to a significant degree, but the Cold War situation remained unchanged on the Korean Peninsula. The two Koreas remain divided, and North Korea does not have normal diplomatic relations with either the United States or Japan.

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Amid this backdrop, the *Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula and the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration in 2018 were pronouncements of an end to the hostilities between the two sides, marking the first step in the settlement of permanent peace. At the same time, dialogue continues regarding the normalization of ties between North Korea and the United States alongside the denuclearization issue. If the North Korea-U.S. dialogue results in complete denuclearization and the establishment of North Korea-U.S. diplomatic relations, and if the Korean War armistice agreement is replaced witha formal peace treaty, the old Cold War order will collapse and a new order of peace will start to reign on the Korean Peninsula.

Peace is also the foundation for advancing as a nation in which everyone can prosper together. The New Korean Peninsula Regime means a peace-driven economy. Peace linked to economic progress creates a peace-strengthening virtuous cycle. We are pondering the way for both Koreas to prosper in the interest of establishing permanent peace. We have already started work on reconnecting road and rail links between the two Koreas. ROK engineers have inspected the state of North Korean railroads for the first time since the Peninsula was divided, and groundbreaking ceremonies have been held for the road and rail reconnection projects.

The vitalization of inter-Korean economic exchanges will link surrounding countries and go beyond the Korean Peninsula to reestablish an economic corridor between East Asia and Eurasia. The two Koreas and Russia have begun working-level discussions on a natural gas pipeline running from Russia and across North Korea to South Korea. Last August, I proposed the establishment of an East Asian Railroad Community, involving six Northeast Asian countries and the United States. I am calling for the East Asian Railroad Community to be modeled after the European Coal and Steel Community. It will then lead to the creation of East Asian energy and economic communities and could ultimately be developed into a multilateral peace and security regime in Northeast Asia.

The New Southern Policy and New Northern Policy being promoted by the Republic of Korea will further expand the peace-driven economy on the Korean Peninsula. The New Northern Policy will spur economic cooperation with Eurasia. Last June, North Korea, for the first time, consented to South Korea joining the Organization for Cooperation of Railways, the international rail transport organization with all Eurasian countries taking part. The day will come when people and goods can move by rail from Busan all the way to Berlin. The Republic of Korea, building on inter-Korean rapprochement, will be a facilitator of peace in Northeast Asia.

The New Southern Policy seeks new forms of strategic cooperation between the Korean Peninsula and ASEAN and Southwest Asia. The Republic of Korea considers a community * The official version submitted to the United Nations uses the spelling “Panmunjom.”

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of people, peace and prosperity to be a core value and will bolster exchanges of people and goods with neighboring countries. We are seeking the way to realize Asia’s potential together and achieve mutual prosperity.

Koreans have demonstrated that the greatest power to change the world lies in the voluntary actions of ordinary people. This power will bring down the last vestiges of the Cold War and be the impetus for proactively ushering in the New Korean Peninsula Regime. Importantly, it prevents ordinary people from suffering misfortune unrelated to his or her own volition.

The achievement of peace, too, ultimately begins with the will of ordinary citizens, and I hope that the completion of this undertaking can be shown to the world.

5.

Heading for an Inclusive World Order After the Second World War, Europe was also swept into the epicenter of the Cold War. Individual national governments sought new alliance strategies. Germany, divided by the Cold War, made bold strides toward peace, and led the change of Europe in the process.

The 450,000 Berlin citizens who were involuntarily separated overnight because of the sudden erection of the Berlin Wall yearned for reunification and peace, venting their feelings by assembling in front of Brandenburg Gate, in West Berlin, in June 1963. That year, Mayor Willy Brandt offered to open negotiations for a border pass agreement, allowing West Berliners to visit their relatives in the eastern part of the city during the Christmas season.

This marked the beginning of the Neue Ostpolitik. Subsequently, the two Germanies began to view one another as partners for cooperation and mutual growth rather than as rivals and blockade targets.

Small prayer services were held every Monday in the East German city of Leipzig from the early 1980s. This modest gathering developed into a series of peace marches, which called for free travel and elections as well as German reunification. The first peace march, held on October 9, 1989, involved 70,000 participants. After just two weeks, the number swelled to 300,000, and the Berlin Wall came down a month later, on November 9.

I believe the European order changed because the ordinary people of Europe took on the task of making peace and aggressively prodded their governments to do the same. The determination and actions of European citizens gave rise to the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952, the blueprint for the European Union, and in 1975 served as the impetus for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which can be seen as the origin of the modern European security order.

As these European examples show, inclusiveness is essential in international relations. The

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world becomes a place where all can prosper together and progress when we are inclusive and guarantee fair opportunities and mutually beneficial cooperation, transcending national borders and areas of concern. Now, however, free trade advocacy and internationalism that have been the foundation of the post-World War II order have been weakening markedly, while protectionism and national self-centeredness have been creeping to the fore. This international crisis is causing the spirit of inclusiveness and cooperation to disappear. What is urgently needed is the politics of cooperation that emphasizes the responsibilities and norms of individual countries as members of international society.

Again, ordinary people are important. The things that ordinary people can change are not limited to domestic issues. When nations change, the world order can change as well. A new world order can be created when ordinary people consider that everyone has the authority and the responsibility to run the national government and that the fate of the world is linked to their own fates. When ordinary people transcend the notions of national boundary, race, ideology, and religion, and unite in solidarity and cooperation, then the world will also advance sustainably as a place where all can live well together.

An inclusive world is one in which the socially marginalized are not excluded and the majority – provided with reliable welfare benefits – receive compensation for the labor that they deserve and enjoy the fruits of growth. We already know about the achievements that ordinary people have made through inclusiveness in Korea, Europe and other places around the world.

Germany has achieved social cohesion by pursuing a free market economy while offering guarantees against various social risks, including job insecurity, wage disparity, poverty, and post-retirement insecurity. Northern European countries have maintained their national innovation capabilities by continuously investing in education so that the social welfare system, which comes at a high price tag, does not weaken national competitiveness.

Efforts by certain nations or by the public sector alone cannot tackle climate change and other issues that affect the entire world. Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change approved the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. The report predicts that the lives of 10 million people could be saved by holding global warming to a 1.5°C increase over pre-industrial levels, as opposed to 2°C or more. The goal is to have all countries jointly address the problem of climate change through international support and cooperation.

Moreover, inclusiveness needs to be embraced worldwide. Asian countries have since 2000 BCE considered conservation of mountain forests and control of waterways as the most important virtue for successful state administration. The spirit of respecting nature is embedded within this concept of mountain and stream management. Landslides were avoided when mountainsides were forested, and damage from floods and droughts were

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mitigated by allowing water to flow naturally rather than damming it up. The concepts of people and nature, development and preservation were not considered mutually exclusive, and I believe that this is in line with sustainable development sought globally now.

Today, however, many nations still consider economic development and environmental protection to be separate matters. We need the developed countries and developing countries to be willing to show empathy toward the other. Now is the time when we must exhibit the power of inclusiveness that ordinary people possess and display the wisdom that people and nature should coexist harmoniously for the earth which is not just for us but also for future generations. When that happens, the dream of a new world order and sustainable development will be realized.

Individual nations have to become more inclusive so that disparities among nations can be reduced, and the people of each country need to cultivate the ability to think as global citizens. Europe’s unity and prosperity, created by ordinary citizens, can make the world a better place by inspiring courage and resolve in the rest of humanity.

6.

The Greatness of the Ordinary The way to a new world order can be found in the things that enable ordinary people to keep on with their lives and the things that let them maintain hope day to day. The people who are not identified in the history books, who are described in common noun terms such as laborers, woodcutters, shopkeepers, and students – each and every one of them should be addressed by their own names. Nations and even the world start from the “self.” We must recognize and value the fact that the world is made up of the ordinariness that does the work, dreams the dreams, and maintains life day by day.

To this end, the lives of individuals must be respected. Of course, the individual must understand how much his or her own life is worth, but that value needs to be reassessed historically and culturally as well. We should discuss and record the impact that individual actions can have on the surroundings as well as the kinds of effects that ensue when certain actions become widespread.

Turning ordinariness into greatness requires justice and fairness, not just freedom and equality. Stories told in every culture remind us of a generally held truth: good behavior is to be praised, and bad behavior is to be condemned. In East Asia, this sentiment is summed up as gwonseon jingak (勸善懲惡 promote the good and chastise evil). This simple and clear truth represents the beginning of justice and fairness. We continue to live in an era of unbridled competition, but justice and fairness must be applied universally in the order of things.

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Ordinary people can grow as global citizens only when justice and fairness prevail.

Everything may still appear to be in progress, yet the solution for a new world order exists in the already trodden path humanity has been on. An ancient classic in East Asia states, “When the granaries are full, [the people] understand propriety and moderation; when food and clothing are adequate, they understand honor and disgrace (食廩實而知禮節, 衣食足而知 榮辱)4.” With justice and fairness, the world may share evenly the fruits of growth, which in turn empowers all. Duty springs forth, and responsibility will arise.

Those things that the world considers to be crises now must be resolved in everyday life.

The tasks before us can neither be settled by a single country nor carried out on the insight of a single great politician. Assisting those in need, reducing waste, and caring for nature are activities that we need more of. When such behaviors are limited to an individual, one may ask doubtingly, “What good will it do?” However, when these small actions accumulate, the overall flow can change greatly.

Ultimately, the world can change slowly but surely by peaceful means as we protect the world and share what we have with one another. As with the everyday lives of ordinary people, Goethe’s quote “Haste not! Rest not!” rings true.

4

From the “Biographies of Guan [Zhong] & of Yan [Ying],” in the Shiji.

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Moon Jae-in

President of the Republic of Korea

SELECTED SPEECHES Ⅱ Publishers : Cheong Wa Dae‚ Office of the President

Korean Culture and Information Service

Printed : June 2019 Design : Next Communication ISBN : 978-89-7375-622-3

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