Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province: "The New Liberation We Must Achieve Is 'Decentralization'"

Gyeongbuk Province Holds Liberation Day Celebration Ceremony

"Opening the Local Era for a First-Class Nation"

On the morning of the 15th at 10 a.m., Gyeongbuk Province held the ‘78th Liberation Day Celebration’ at Dongnak Hall inside the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office to reminisce the joy of liberation and pay deep respects to the patriotic martyrs, independence activists, and their families who devoted themselves to the nation and the people.

The celebration was held with the attendance of about 500 people, including Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, Bae Han-cheol, Chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education, heads of local organizations, families of independence patriots, and veterans’ organizations.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, is delivering a congratulatory speech.

The event began with a musical drama expressing the joy of liberation through Arirang, followed by a video screening of the veterans’ support projects for descendants of independence activists, the opening ceremony and national anthem, a commemorative speech read by Lee Byung-chul, head of the Gyeongbuk branch of the Liberation Association, awards for contributions to the promotion of national symbols, congratulatory remarks by Governor Lee Cheol-woo, singing of the Liberation Day song, and a three cheers led by Bae Han-cheol, Chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council.

On this day, a presidential citation was presented to the bereaved family of the late Han Gyu-seong, who was posthumously honored as an independence patriot, to honor their patriotism. Additionally, 10 Gyeongbuk residents and public officials selected for their contributions to the promotion of national symbols were also awarded citations.

When singing the Liberation Day song and shouting the three cheers, the 500 attendees simultaneously waved the Taegeukgi and Dokdo flags, recalling the joy and cheers of liberation and reaffirming the spirit of independence and patriotism of the patriotic martyrs.

Also, in the lobby of the event hall, an exhibition titled ‘Modern and Contemporary Korean History Seen Through Schools’ was held, featuring various photos related to ‘schools’ from the Japanese colonial period to just after liberation, allowing visitors to reflect on the significance of Liberation Day.

In his congratulatory speech, Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, “Although it is an extremely joyful and good day, we are facing Liberation Day under difficult circumstances. I pray for the souls of those who lost their lives in the recent floods and will do our best to help the disaster victims return to their daily lives as soon as possible.”

Participants are performing the three cheers for independence at the Liberation Day celebration held at the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

He continued by quoting Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, who emphasized that “the answer to solving global warming lies in technological innovation,” and stressed, “We must thoroughly review disaster and emergency management methods at both central and local government levels and prepare and respond meticulously with a view to the next 50 years. This is the only way for humanity to survive.”

Governor Lee also stated, “Gyeongbuk has produced the largest number of 2,456 independence patriots nationwide and is sharing its remarkable achievements with the world, from the Saemaul Movement to leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

He added, “From nation-building to industrialization and democratization, although it seemed to have progressed smoothly on the surface, ideological divisions and being trapped in individual frameworks led to conflicts and raised voices, causing division. Now, as a country worthy of advanced nation status, we must stop division, cooperate, and open an era of national unity.”

Governor Lee further said, “If 1945 was the ‘first liberation,’ then the ‘second liberation’ was industrialization, and the ‘third liberation’ was democratization. The liberation we must now achieve is ‘localization.’ To advance toward a new Republic of Korea and become a top-tier nation, we must open the era of local autonomy.”

He also reflected on the famous saying by Chairman Lee Kun-hee, “Change everything except your wife and children,” saying, “During the first year of the 8th elected term, I challenged myself with the determination to change everything except the name ‘Gyeongbuk.’ Now, Gyeongsangbuk-do has established itself as a key partner in national governance for the stabilization of the local era in Korea, achieving meaningful results such as the designation of three new national industrial complexes, selection as a specialized complex for national advanced strategic industries like secondary batteries and semiconductors, completion of subordinate legislation for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk integrated new airport special law, and designation as a U-City.”

In conclusion, Governor Lee said, “In the past, Gyeongsangbuk-do was the center of the Republic of Korea, but with the continued unipolar system centered on the metropolitan area for over 50 years, not only Gyeongbuk but most local areas have entered a path of decline and extinction. However, we can do it again. By leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we will stand tall again at the center of Korea.” He expressed his determination, saying, “No challenge necessarily ends in failure. The challenge itself is already a success. I hope all citizens of Gyeongbuk and the entire nation will join forces with us.”

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