Pres. Yoon stresses ‘freedom’ and vows to rebuild nation that belongs to the people

May 11, 2022, 08:42 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers inauguration speech in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on May 10, 2022./ Source: Joint Press Corps

AsiaToday reporter Lee Yoo-jin

President Yoon Suk-yeol has been officially inaugurated as the 20th president of Republic of Korea on Tuesday, under the slogan, “Again South Korea! A New Nation of People.” During his inauguration at the National Assembly Plaza, Yoon promised to rebuild a nation that espouses liberal democracy and ensures a thriving market economy, and a nation that truly belongs to the people.

Wearing a light blue tie symbolizing peace and prosperity, President Yoon delivered his inaugural speech in a strong tone for 12 minutes. He used the word “freedom” 35 times in his speech, stressing that freedom is the most important value to overcome challenges at home and abroad.

“It is our generation’s calling to rebuild a nation that truly belongs to the people and a nation that fulfills its responsibility as a trusted member of the international community based on liberal democracy and a market economy system,” he said. The new president said the country is facing multiple crises, including pandemic, supply chain reorganization, climate change, food and energy crisis, record-low growth, rising unemployment, polarization, and social conflicts, but the politics to solve these challenges are not functioning properly due to a crisis in democracy.

Yoon pointed out that one of the main reasons for such failure is the troubling spread of anti-intellectualism. “Truth is distorted due to excessive collective conflicts within the country, and anti-intellectualism, in which we choose to see only what we want to see and hear only what we want to hear or when the masses suppress the opinions of others with the power of the majority, is putting democracy at risk.”

“It is very important to share universal values in order to overcome challenges. And the most important value is freedom. We must clearly define and unequivocally reaffirm the real meaning of freedom,” he said. It is Yoon’s idea to share the value of freedom since a country became prosperous when free political rights and markets were guaranteed in human history.

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President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers inauguration speech in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on May 10, 2022./ Source: Joint Press Corps

The president also declared that he will leave the door open to dialogue to peacefully resolve North Korea’s nuclear weapon programs. “If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea’s economy and improve the quality of life for its people.”

He also vowed to create a nation which truly belongs to the people, stressing the values of freedom, human rights, fairness and solidarity.

Yoon stressed his political philosophy by using the word “freedom” 35 times in his inauguration speech. The new president used the word “people” 15 times to reaffirm his will to create a nation that belongs to the people. He also used “global”, “peace”, “international”, “democracy” and “solidarity” often to emphasize solidarity with the international community.

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