[Full Text] President Yoon Seok-yeol's Joint Address to US Senate and House of Representatives... "Korea-US, Moving Forward to the Future"

Speech Title 'Alliance of Freedom, Alliance in Action'
ROK-US Alliance, Moving Forward Toward the Future

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a state visit to the United States, urged on the 27th (local time) that the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US alliance will move forward toward the future and asked, "Please join us on this new journey."

In his speech at the joint session of the US Congress held at the Capitol in Washington DC on the morning of the same day, President Yoon said, "The world we will create together will offer infinite opportunities to future generations."

The title of President Yoon's speech was "Alliance of Freedom, Alliance in Action," and it was delivered in English.

Below is the full text of President Yoon's speech, "Alliance of Freedom, Alliance in Action."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Honorable Speaker of the House, Vice President, members of the House and Senate, distinguished guests from home and abroad, and citizens of the United States: "A nation born in freedom, founded on the belief that all men are created equal." I stand before the American people today with confidence in freedom, trust in our alliance, and determination to open a new future.

The US Congress has been a symbol of freedom and democracy for 234 years. It is a great honor to speak here, where the spirit of the US Constitution is embodied, before the members of Congress and the American people. I especially extend my deep gratitude to the members of both the Democratic and Republican parties who adopted the 'Resolution on the 70th Anniversary of the Korea-US Alliance,' which has further illuminated the significance of my visit.

No matter which side you are on, I know well that you stand with the Republic of Korea. Over the past century, the United States has taken the lead in defending freedom against threats. As imperial powers intensified their colonial struggles, humanity endured two devastating world wars. The United States chose righteous intervention to protect freedom. The sacrifices made by the US were not insignificant. In the Pacific War, where General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz played key roles, over 100,000 American soldiers lost their lives.

However, their sacrifices were not in vain. The US's global leadership in establishing the postwar world free trade order cultivated peace and prosperity worldwide. Yet, this prosperity of the free market did not include communist totalitarian powers that rejected free markets.

In 1950, the Korean Peninsula was the frontline where liberalism and communist totalitarianism clashed. The surprise invasion by North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union, threatened peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Asia. At the critical moment when liberal democracy almost disappeared from the Korean Peninsula, the United States did not turn away. Korea and the US fought bravely, and fierce battles ensued. Stories of heroes were born amid the fires of war.

General MacArthur reversed the unfavorable situation with the unexpected Incheon Landing Operation. The Incheon Landing was a decision worthy of being recorded in the annals of world military history. The US Marine 1st Division achieved a miraculous breakthrough against 120,000 Chinese troops' encirclement tactics in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The sacrifices made by the US military to protect "a people from a country they had never met or known" were immense. In the Battle of Chosin Reservoir alone, 4,500 US soldiers died, and approximately 37,000 US soldiers perished in the Korean War. The late Colonel William Weber, who lost his right arm and leg in the Battle of Hill 324 in Wonju, dedicated his later years to honoring the noble sacrifices of Korean War veterans.

Today, we have with us Colonel Weber's granddaughter, Ms. Dane Weber. Would you please stand? On behalf of the people of the Republic of Korea, I express our deep gratitude and infinite respect.

Among the families and friends of the members here today, there are surely heroes who served in the Korean War. Former Representatives John Conyers, Sam Johnson, Howard Coble, who dedicated themselves to freedom and democracy here in Congress as Korean War veterans, and former Representative Charles Rangel, who remains a passionate supporter of the Korea-US alliance, are among them. The Republic of Korea will forever remember these great American heroes who stood with us to protect freedom.

On this occasion, I also pay deep respect to the Korean War veterans, the American mothers who willingly sent their sons, husbands, and brothers to a country across the Pacific they had never visited, and the US government and people who honor the Korean War as a proud legacy and treat veterans with dignity.

After three years of fierce fighting, the Republic of Korea and the United States opened a new era of alliance by signing the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty in 1953. The United States has stood with us throughout, overcoming the horrific scars and ruins of war to the prosperous Republic of Korea we have today. There are countless reasons to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US alliance this year. Success was never guaranteed from the start.

However, today our alliance is stronger than ever and prospering together. Our two countries are more closely connected than anyone else. The Korea-US alliance has been the central axis in protecting Korea's freedom and peace and achieving prosperity.

The Republic of Korea, the only case in modern world history of rising from a recipient to a donor country, is itself the success of the Korea-US alliance. Today, I would like to reflect on the 140 years of exchange, cooperation, and alliance between our two countries, which began with diplomatic relations in 1882. The values of freedom and solidarity, which form the foundation of the Korean Constitution, were widely introduced to us by American missionaries in the late 19th century. They greatly influenced our people's independence and nation-building movements thereafter.

American missionaries such as Horace Underwood, Henry Appenzeller, Mary Scranton, and Rosetta Hall, who came to Korea in the late 19th century, built schools and hospitals. They especially focused on women's education, laying the foundation for women to enter various social fields such as education, media, and healthcare for the first time in Korean history.

In the early 1960s, President Park Chung-hee wisely adopted the economic growth model of Professor Rostow, recommended by the Kennedy administration, to promote economic development plans and lay the foundation for an emerging industrial nation. Korea's economic growth speed, called the "Miracle on the Han River," was unparalleled. From a postwar poorest country with a per capita income of $67, the Republic of Korea grew into one of the world's top 10 economies. Seoul, once reduced to ashes by war, has become the most vibrant digital international city in the world 70 years later. Busan, which overflowed with refugees during the war, is now the world's second-largest port city by transshipment volume and is competing to host the 2030 World Expo.

The Republic of Korea is now a vibrant country where freedom and democracy breathe, loved by global citizens. The two countries have joined forces to protect freedom and democracy worldwide beyond the Korean Peninsula. Korea has dispatched "warriors of freedom" to Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places after World War II, fighting alongside the United States.

Over the past 70 years of alliance history, Korea and the US have continuously expanded not only military security cooperation but also economic cooperation. It has evolved from unilateral support to a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship. Since the Korea-US FTA, passed with full support from the US Congress in 2011, was implemented, trade between the two countries has increased by about 68% over ten years, Korean investment in the US has tripled, and US investment in Korea has nearly doubled.

Global Korean companies entering the US in sectors such as batteries, semiconductors, and automobiles contribute to creating quality jobs and revitalizing the US economy. Samsung Electronics' semiconductor plant in Austin, Texas, created about 10,000 jobs as of 2020, and the Hyundai plant in Bryan County, Georgia, scheduled to start operations in the second half of 2024, will produce 300,000 electric vehicles annually and create numerous jobs. The SK Siltron CSS plant in Bay City, Michigan, visited by President Biden last November, is another exemplary case of a Korean company acquiring and growing a US company. I ask for your special attention and support so that such mutually beneficial Korea-US economic cooperation can continue in many places.

Friends, the active cultural and human exchanges accumulated through political and economic cooperation have deepened the friendship between our two countries. This year marks the 120th anniversary of Korean immigration to the Americas. Koreans who first entered as sugarcane plantation workers in Hawaii have since advanced into various sectors of American society, playing a significant role in promoting Korea-US friendship and cooperation and building the history of the alliance. Members here today such as Representative Young Kim, Representative Andy Kim, Representative Michelle Steel, and Representative Marilyn Strickland are witnesses to the Korea-US alliance passed down through generations. Two are from the Democratic Party and two from the Republican Party.

Cultural content acts as a catalyst for deeper understanding and friendship beyond nationality and language differences between our peoples. Korean films Parasite and Minari have won Academy Awards, and numerous Hollywood films like Top Gun and Avengers have long been immensely popular in Korea. I personally really like Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible. And even if you didn't know my name, you probably know BTS and Blackpink. BTS came to the White House before I did, but I arrived at Congress first.

Now it has become natural for singers from each country to appear on the other's music charts. The US creates global platforms like Netflix, and Korea produces killer content like Squid Game, creating a new synergy effect.

With the activation of cultural exchanges, the relationship between our peoples has grown even closer. According to a survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs last year, American favorability toward Korea was the highest since 1978. Also, according to the Pew Research Center, Korean favorability toward the US reached 89% last year, with the largest increase among surveyed countries. Now, the Korean and American governments have agreed to establish systematic support programs to enable young people from both countries to study, be educated, and find jobs more actively.

Members of Congress, I have had two lifelong professions. The first was as a prosecutor in the Republic of Korea, and the second is as the president of my beloved homeland, the Republic of Korea. During my time as a prosecutor, my role model was Robert Morgenthau, the real-life inspiration for Adam Schiff in the drama "Law & Order." While serving as Prosecutor General, I published a book titled "America's Eternal Prosecutor Robert Morgenthau" and distributed it to junior prosecutors.

In the preface, I included Morgenthau's famous quote: "A prosecutor who is silent in the face of great evil cannot even stop a petty thief in the neighborhood." Our democracy is now facing a crisis. Democracy is a political decision-making system of a community to guarantee freedom and human rights. Such decision-making must be based on truth and the free formation of public opinion.

Worldwide, false agitation and misinformation distort truth and public opinion, threatening democracy. The rule of law is a way for community members' freedoms to coexist, supported by parliamentary democracy. Anti-intellectualism, represented by false agitation and misinformation, threatens not only democracy but also the rule of law.

These totalitarian forces threaten and deny freedom and democracy while often disguising themselves as democracy activists or human rights activists. We must not be deceived by such concealment and disguise. We must all unite and bravely fight to prevent our precious democracy and rule of law, protected by blood and sweat, from collapsing under these false disguises.

Those who cherish freedom also value the freedom of others. Therefore, freedom creates peace, and peace protects freedom. Freedom and peace are sources of creativity and innovation, generating prosperity and abundance. The Korea-US alliance, formed over 70 years ago for Korea's freedom, has now developed into a global alliance protecting freedom and peace worldwide. The Republic of Korea will fulfill responsibilities and contributions commensurate with its enhanced economic capabilities in the international community.

President Kennedy said at his inauguration in 1961, "Ask not what the world can do for you. Ask what we can do together for the freedom of mankind." Now, the Republic of Korea will surely do what must be done by joining forces with the international community for humanity's freedom.

The Republic of Korea will move forward into the future with the United States. Upon taking office last year, I declared my mission to make Korea a country based on liberal democracy and market economy, where the people are the masters, a respected nation fulfilling its roles and responsibilities as a proud member of the international community. Korea will serve as the "compass of freedom," protecting and expanding the freedom of global citizens together with the United States.

While the Korea-US alliance for freedom has continued for 70 years, there are forces stubbornly choosing the opposite path. That is North Korea. The Republic of Korea, which chose liberal democracy, and North Korea, which chose communist totalitarianism, are now clearly contrasted.

North Korea has abandoned freedom and prosperity and ignored peace. North Korea's illegal nuclear development and missile provocations pose a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world. To firmly deter North Korea's reckless actions, the united will of Korea and the US is paramount. As President Reagan said, we must clearly let North Korea know that "there is a point we cannot tolerate and a line that must never be crossed."

At the summit held yesterday, President Biden and I agreed on enhanced extended deterrence measures. To respond to the increasingly sophisticated North Korean nuclear threat, Korea-US cooperation and trilateral security cooperation among Korea, the US, and Japan must be further accelerated. Our government will respond firmly to provocations while keeping the door open for dialogue toward denuclearization.

Last year, I proposed the "Bold Initiative," promising to dramatically improve North Korea's livelihood and economy if it halts nuclear development and shifts to a substantive denuclearization process. I once again urge North Korea to stop provocations and take the right path as soon as possible.

Korea and the US will work together to lead efforts for North Korea's denuclearization. While the North Korean regime focuses on nuclear and missile development, its people are plunged into the worst economic crisis and severe human rights abuses. We must not neglect our duty to inform the world of the tragic human rights situation in North Korea and to deliver freedom to its people.

Last month, the Korean government published the North Korea Human Rights Report for the first time. The report, based on testimonies from 508 North Korean defectors over the past five years, applies international standards such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights treaties to document various human rights abuses in North Korea. Horrific incidents include merciless executions for violating COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, public executions for watching and distributing Korean movies and dramas, and public shootings for possessing Bibles and practicing religion.

The international community must widely publicize these human rights abuses in North Korea. I ask the members here to join efforts to improve the dire human rights conditions of North Korean residents.

Friends, liberal democracy is once again under threat. The war in Ukraine is an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by violating international norms and using force. The Republic of Korea strongly condemns the unjustified armed attack on Ukraine.

When North Korea invaded us in 1950, liberal democratic countries rushed to help us. We fought together and protected freedom. History tells the result.

Our experience shows how important solidarity among liberal democratic countries is. The Republic of Korea will actively work with the free world to protect the freedom of the Ukrainian people and assist their reconstruction.

Members of Congress, six presidents of the Republic of Korea have delivered speeches at this honorable podium. President Roh Tae-woo stood here in 1989, 35 years after the first president of the Republic of Korea, Syngman Rhee, spoke here in 1954, and said: "Pacific Rim countries have made this region the fastest-growing in the world through open societies and market economies. The Pacific will become even more important to the United States. Korea will become a country that contributes more to peace and prosperity in this region. One day, a Korean president will stand here again and say that what I have said today is not a dream of tomorrow but a reality."

President Roh's dream has already become reality. We now live in the Indo-Pacific era. Sixty-five percent of the world's population, 62% of global GDP, and half of the world's maritime transport volume occur in this region. Last year, Korea announced its first comprehensive regional strategy, the "Indo-Pacific Strategy." Korea will build a "free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region" based on the principles of inclusion, trust, and reciprocity.

To strengthen the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, Korea will expand comprehensive and multilayered cooperation with key partners. This means the stage on which the Korea-US alliance operates is also expanding. Korea, once a recipient of USAID support, now shares development experience with developing countries alongside the United States. Korea has significantly increased its official development assistance and provides tailored development cooperation programs suited to the needs and characteristics of beneficiary countries.

At the Korea-US summit held yesterday, President Biden and I adopted a joint statement embodying the vision of a "forward-moving, action-oriented alliance." The two countries will jointly lead innovation in advanced fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology, and Open RAN. Furthermore, strengthening cutting-edge semiconductor cooperation between the two countries will contribute to building stable and resilient supply chains and alleviating economic uncertainties.

The two countries must expand the successful history of alliance cooperation into new frontiers such as space and cyberspace. Cooperation between the world's two most innovative and creative technological powers can create tremendous synergy.

Honorable Speaker of the House, Vice President, members of the House and Senate, the Korea-US alliance is a value alliance founded on universal values of freedom, human rights, and democracy. Our alliance is just. Our alliance is an alliance of peace. Our alliance is an alliance of prosperity. Our alliance will continue to move forward toward the future. The world we will create together will offer infinite opportunities to future generations. I ask you to join us on this new journey.

May blessings be upon you, the future of the United States, and our great alliance. Thank you.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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