Lee Jae-myung: "The Deeper the Darkness, the More Earnest the Heart Drawing Light... A United People Will Rise Again"

New Year's Address by Lee Jae-myung, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 1st, "We will rise again with the great solidarity shown in the crisis and the will of the united people."

On that day, Lee began his New Year's address with condolences related to the aircraft disaster on the 29th of last month. He said, "The beginning of a year that should be filled with joy and excitement was filled with the sorrow and grief of the entire nation, overcoming the difficulties of the past year," and added, "I pray for the souls of all those who lost their lives in the aircraft disaster. I also express my deep condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families who must be going through indescribable pain."

He said, "I cannot forget the cries of the bereaved families who held my hand and sobbed," and "The Democratic Party will do everything it can until this disaster is completely resolved." Lee said, "Last year, we all faced unprecedented darkness," and added, "But just as the deeper the darkness, the more desperate the heart longs for light, our hope for a new country has become clearer."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing his position on the political situation, including the impeachment motion against Acting President Han Duck-soo, at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Lee promised, "With a heavy sense of responsibility, we will stand with the lives of the people trapped in the swamp of despair," and "We will overcome the tragedies and hardships ahead of us and open a new future."

The following is the full text of Lee’s New Year's address.

Dear respected citizens, the beginning of a year that should be filled with joy and excitement, overcoming the difficulties of the past year, has been filled with the sorrow and grief of the entire nation. I pray for the souls of all those who lost their lives in the aircraft disaster. I also express my deep condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families who must be going through indescribable pain. I cannot forget the cries of the bereaved families who held my hand and sobbed. The Democratic Party will do everything it can until this disaster is completely resolved. We will grieve and suffer together with the desperate people. Citizens, last year we all faced unprecedented darkness. We are going through a difficult time with the sorrow of losing family and neighbors, and the sorrow of losing hope for tomorrow. But just as the deeper the darkness, the more desperate the heart longs for light, our hope for a new country has become clearer. We will rise again with the great solidarity shown in the crisis and the will of the united people. With a heavy sense of responsibility, we will stand with the lives of the people trapped in the swamp of despair. We will overcome the tragedies and hardships ahead of us and open a new future. Happy New Year. Thank you.