[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The ruling party and the opposition offered contrasting evaluations of President Yoon Seok-yeol's 77th Liberation Day commemorative speech. While the ruling party viewed it positively, saying it presented a vision for the future, the opposition criticized the value of freedom mentioned by President Yoon as nothing more than an empty echo.
On the 15th, Yang Geum-hee, the floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement, "President Yoon inherited the independent spirit of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, restored Korea-Japan relations amicably, and announced a 'bold initiative' that includes a concrete support program following North Korea's denuclearization," adding, "This is a direction befitting the Republic of Korea that aims to contribute to humanity's freedom, peace, and prosperity."
Additionally, Spokesperson Yang expressed hope regarding President Yoon's will to restore Korea-Japan relations by succeeding the Kim Dae-jung?Obuchi joint declaration, stating, "The Japanese government should share this forward-looking awareness for improving and cooperating in Korea-Japan relations, and conscientious Japanese leaders are expected to open an honorable and righteous path for future generations."
Yang also said, "Leap comes from innovation, and innovation comes from freedom," expressing agreement with President Yoon's determination to innovate regulations so that the private sector can achieve leap growth, and urged the National Assembly to unite in supporting domestic companies to create jobs.
On the other hand, the opposition criticized President Yoon's commemorative speech. On the same day, Cho Oh-seop, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a written briefing, "President Yoon should present a future vision that can overcome the current crises facing the Republic of Korea, rather than empty values of freedom," adding, "The hollow value of freedom is just an empty echo."
Cho also expressed regret over President Yoon's interpretation of the independence movement as a process of pursuing freedom. He explained, "President Yoon limits the value of the independence movement to the process of regaining freedom," and added, "While freedom is an important constitutional value, it is regrettable that the meaning of the independence movement was narrowly interpreted to serve as a basis for policies pursued by the Yoon administration."
Furthermore, Cho said, "President Yoon advocated improving Korea-Japan relations, restructuring, and regulatory reforms to resolve polarization based on the value of freedom," but criticized, "Although he stated that he would succeed the Kim Dae-jung?Obuchi joint declaration in improving Korea-Japan relations, he avoided showing active will to resolve historical issues."
On this day, President Yoon read his commemorative speech for 13 minutes on the occasion of the 77th Liberation Day, mentioning 'freedom' 33 times. Words such as independence (18 times), people (15 times), world (12 times), and peace (9 times) also appeared frequently. However, words like 'integration' and 'cooperation' did not appear in the speech.
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