[Full Text] President Moon's 33rd Anniversary Speech on the June 10 Democratic Uprising: "Democracy Can Never Regress"

President Moon Jae-in delivers a commemorative speech at the June 10 Democratic Uprising memorial ceremony held at the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the 10th, President Moon Jae-in attended the '33rd Anniversary of the June 10 Democratic Uprising Commemoration Ceremony' held at the planned site of the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul (former Namyeong-dong National Police Agency's Anti-Communist Investigation Office) and said, "Our democracy can never retreat."

He continued, "We must now move toward more democracy, greater democracy, and more diverse democracy," emphasizing, "The path toward democracy cannot be stopped."

Below is the full text of the commemorative speech.

[Full Text]

Dear respected citizens,

On the day of the June 10 Democratic Uprising,

we created democracy together.

Students took the lead,

office workers waved handkerchiefs,

and taxi drivers honked their horns.

Mothers pinned flowers on the chests of riot police.

The entire nation together

planted a tree called democracy

in the square.

Thirty-three years have passed since then.

Workers have shone sunlight of equality and solidarity,

citizens have shone sunlight of empathy and participation

on the tree.

As the youth became mothers and fathers,

democracy began in our homes.

We began to reflect on human rights,

and to cherish each and every person.

When democracy was in danger, we held candles,

slowly and together with everyone,

but never losing direction, we have come to today.

Today, the tree called democracy

is growing faster than in any other country.

Our democracy is one of sharing and coexistence.

It respects individual freedom as much as

it respects the freedom of all citizens.

In overcoming COVID-19,

we demonstrated democracy of solidarity and cooperation.

The democracy we built

made the Republic of Korea a model country in COVID-19 prevention.

It is democracy created by the entire nation.

On the 33rd anniversary of the June 10 Democratic Uprising,

we honor the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for democracy.

To the citizens who participated in the June 10 Democratic Uprising 33 years ago,

and to all those who have devoted themselves to the development of democracy since then,

I offer my deepest respect and gratitude.

Our democracy is growing bigger and stronger.

It has now matured without envy.

With hearts for each other,

to all our citizens who have grown our democracy this much today,

I want to send a round of applause.

Dear citizens,

This place is Namyeong-dong.

Here, where the sound of trains from Namyeong Station can be heard,

was once the notorious 'Namyeong-dong Anti-Communist Investigation Office.'

Separated by a single wall,

illegal arrests, torture fabrication, and human rights violations occurred here

simply because many longed for democratization.

Many had to endure unbearable pain, fear, and humiliation as human beings here.

Kim Geun-tae, chairman of the National Council of Student Representatives,

was subjected to electric torture and near-death torture.

On January 14, 1987, in interrogation room 509 here,

22-year-old Park Jong-chul, a linguistics student at Seoul National University,

died from water torture.

However, the democratic figures who endured death-like pain and humiliating torture

transformed the space of 'dictatorship and violence'

into a space of 'democratic struggle.'

Thanks to the courage of the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice,

the truth of Park Jong-chul's torture death was revealed to the world,

and the June 10 Democratic Uprising brought the truth of state violence in Namyeong-dong to light.

Now, Namyeong-dong is being developed into the 'Democracy and Human Rights Memorial.'

It will be a space to heal the wounds of victims

and to remember the history of democracy.

It is very meaningful to hold the June 10 Democratic Uprising commemoration here today.

Rebirthing this unfortunate space

into a space of democracy

is nothing short of a magical great miracle.

I am proud of our citizens and democratic figures

who overcame harsh times and ultimately transformed a dark space into one of hope and future.

Dear citizens,

Much dedication and sacrifice have been made

for our democracy to come this far today.

Today, we awarded medals and honors

to those who contributed to the development of democracy in the Republic of Korea.

Each and every one is an excellent person

whose achievements cannot be fully expressed by a single medal or honor.

They were selected through extensive recommendations from civil society and related organizations,

which is unprecedented.

Mrs. Lee So-sun, who devoted her life to workers' rights carrying the spirit of Jeon Tae-il in her heart,

the late Pastor Park Hyung-gyu, who dedicated his life to anti-dictatorship democratization movements,

the late human rights lawyer Cho Young-rae, a symbol of human rights lawyering,

the late Bishop Ji Hak-soon, the conscience of the era,

the late Father Jo Bi-o (Cheol-hyun), a living witness of the May 18 Democratization Movement,

the late Park Jung-gi, father of martyr Park Jong-chul, who served as president of the National Association of Democratic Families for a long time,

the late journalist Sung Yoo-bo, who fought for media democratization,

the late Professor Kim Jin-gyun, an intellectual who agonized with the times,

the late President Kim Chan-guk of Sangji University, who resisted the Yushin dictatorship,

the late Kwon Jong-dae, chairman of the National Farmers' Federation and friend of farmers,

the late lawyer Hwang In-cheol, who heralded the birth of democracy and human rights lawyering,

and those still with us in the field of democracy,

Mrs. Bae Eun-sim, mother of martyr Lee Han-yeol,

and overseas supporters,

the late Father James Sinnott and Pastor George Ogle,

are truly the embodiment of democracy in the Republic of Korea,

and were the shield of the people during the harsh dictatorship era.

I am honored to have walked alongside these individuals in the streets and squares.

Today's medals and honors are given by the government,

but they only represent the proud history of democracy

and the grateful hearts of the people.

With the people, I sincerely express respect and gratitude.

To the bereaved families who have endured through the years,

I also send my condolences.

The government will continue to honor

independence, national defense, and democracy contributors with due respect.

We will always strive to ensure that the dedication of those who devoted themselves to patriotism and democracy

becomes a lesson for future generations.

The government will also do its best

to commemorate the great history of democracy.

Since 2018, the 2.28 Daegu Democratic Movement and the 3.8 Daejeon Democratic Uprising

have been designated as national memorial days,

and together with the 3.15 Masan Uprising,

are remembered as a history connected to the April 19 Revolution.

We will surely restore the honor of the April 3 Incident

and fully investigate the truth of the May 18 Democratization Movement.

Dear citizens,

I reflect on democracy again.

Although democracy as a system is well established,

we elect presidents, members of the National Assembly, and heads of organizations with our own hands,

and exercise our rights as citizens in many places,

we must always reflect on whether all citizens are enjoying democracy in their daily lives.

The owners of the Republic of Korea are its citizens.

Citizens are sovereign.

The state exists for the lives of the people,

and must always respond to the orders of the sovereign.

This is something leaders elected by elections must always keep in mind.

Democracy flies on two wings: freedom and equality.

Minorities must be respected,

and democracy works properly when we constantly look back at marginalized places.

We have the freedom to pursue profit as much as we want,

but we do not have the freedom to take away others' shares.

We know very well the simple truth that our shops do well only when our neighbors live well together.

A sustainable and more equal economy is practical democracy

that we must achieve beyond institutional democracy.

The more we take democracy for granted,

the more we must question it.

Democracy must permeate our lives beyond institutions.

Democracy in families and workplaces

is a more mature democracy.

When democracy is experienced and repeated in daily life,

it will continuously advance.

We must not be impatient.

Conflict and consensus are other names for democracy.

Everyone is different.

Ideals differ, thoughts differ, and realities differ.

Choices for the present and choices for the future also differ by person.

We must find ways to coexist amid conflict,

and find comfort amid discomfort.

That is the value of democracy.

Peace is a difficult and hard path,

but all the more reason we must achieve peace through democracy.

Only peace achieved this way

will bring us prosperity for a long time.

Dear respected citizens,

The world is paying attention to our democracy.

In the difficult situation of COVID-19,

all citizens practiced democracy by caring for each other,

and we are the only country that successfully held elections, the flower of democracy.

The June 10 Democratic Uprising was not a miracle that came suddenly one day.

It is a history of victory created by the long-standing aspirations of the people

to regain popular sovereignty, starting from the March 1 Independence Movement,

the history of the democratic republic.

After 16 years, we were able to elect the president with the people's hands,

and restored the basic system of democracy with separation of powers in the constitution,

but the greatest achievement of our people

is the experience and collective memory of advancing history with the power of the people.

Therefore, our democracy can never retreat.

We must now move toward more democracy,

greater democracy,

and more diverse democracy.

The path toward democracy cannot be stopped.

Because democracy constantly develops.

As in the past, we can do well.

On the 33rd anniversary of the June 10 Democratic Uprising,

the government will also strive harder for 'everyday democracy.'

We hope the tree called democracy

will grow greener in the square,

and that the citizens will join us.

Thank you.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.