Yoon says Japan is partner sharing universal values

Aug 16, 2023, 09:29 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers an address during the 78th Liberation Day ceremony at Ewha Womans University in Seoul on Aug. 15, 2023./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that South Korea and Japan are now partners sharing universal values and pursuing common interests.

Yoon made the remark in an address during the 78th Liberation Day ceremony held at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “As partners that cooperate on security and economy, Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner,” he added.

“The ROK-U.S. alliance, forged from universal values, is an alliance of peace and prosperity,” Yoon said, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea. “The significance of ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral security cooperation is increasingly growing on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.”

“In order to fundamentally block North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan must closely cooperate on reconnaissance assets and share North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles data in real time,” Yoon said. “The seven rear bases provided to the United Nations Command (UNC) by Japan serve as the greatest deterrent which keeps the North from invading the South.”

“Anti-state forces that blindly follow communist totalitarianism, distort public opinion, and disrupt society through manipulative propaganda, are still rampant,” the president said. “In a divided nation, where the confrontation between liberal democracy and communist totalitarianism is a reality, the activities of those anti-state groups are likely to persist.”

“As the totalitarian forces disrupt and attack our societies, they take full advantage of the legal rights enshrined in free societies. That is the way they survive,” he said.

“The forces of communist totalitarianism have always disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights advocates or progressive activists while engaging in despicable and unethical tactics and false propaganda,” Yoon said.

“We must never succumb to the forces of communist totalitarianism. We must not be deceived by those who follow and serve them,” he said. “Having faith and conviction that liberal democracy will always win, and standing united in the spirit of solidarity are very important.”

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