President Lee Jae Myung Emphasizes "People" 42 Times: Vows to Be President for All

President Lee Jae Myung stated, "Regardless of whom each person supported in this presidential election, I will become a president for all, embracing and serving every citizen, in line with the deeper meaning of the president's call for broad unity."

President Lee made these remarks in his address to the nation after taking the oath of office at the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly building on June 4. In his oath, President Lee used the word "people" 42 times and presented five key agendas: a nation where the people are the true owners; a country that grows and develops vigorously once again; a nation where everyone prospers together; a country where culture flourishes; and a safe and peaceful nation.

The first goal identified by President Lee is the recovery of people's livelihoods and revitalization of the economy. He emphasized, "With the resolve to confront the recession head-on, I will immediately launch an emergency economic response task force (TF)," and added, "I will use national finances as a priming pump to restore a virtuous economic cycle."

President Lee continued, "The newly launched Democratic Party government under Lee Jae Myung will be a government of just integration and flexible pragmatism." He pointed out, "Integration is a sign of competence, while division is the result of incompetence," and criticized, "Only political forces that lack both the ability and the will to change people's lives divide the public and sow hatred for the sake of maintaining power." He then pledged, "I will be the president who ends the politics of division."

President Lee Jae Myung is taking the oath of office at the 21st Presidential Inauguration Ceremony held at the National Assembly on June 4, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun Min

President Lee declared, "On the foundation of the values of coexistence and unity, I will restore communication and dialogue, and revive a politics of concession and compromise," adding, "Let us now consign outdated ideologies to the museum of history." Regarding the conflict between progressives and conservatives, he explained, "There are only issues facing the people and the Republic of Korea," and stated, "If Park Chung Hee's policies or Kim Dae Jung's policies are necessary and useful, I will use them without distinction."

Regarding the direction of government, he said, "We will not be a government that controls and manages, but one that supports and encourages." President Lee stated, "To guarantee creative and proactive business activities, we will shift regulations to a negative-list approach," and added, "We will firmly support entrepreneurs so they can freely start businesses, grow, and compete in the global market."

Concerning the declaration of martial law and the ensuing political turmoil under the previous administration of Yoon Suk Yeol, President Lee criticized, "A rebellion that seizes the people's sovereignty with the arms entrusted by the people must never happen again," and pledged, "We will conduct a thorough investigation to hold those responsible to account and establish firm measures to prevent recurrence." He further promised, "We will restore the honor of the military and the trust of the people, which were tarnished by the illegal martial law, and ensure that the military is never again mobilized for political purposes."

Regarding the current situation surrounding Korea, he analyzed, "Rapid changes in the international order, such as the expansion of protectionism and the reorganization of supply chains, threaten our survival," and added, "At this critical juncture, we are facing a complex crisis, layered like tangled threads, across all areas?livelihood, economy, diplomacy, security, and democracy."

Quoting the writer Han Kang, President Lee said, "The past helped the present, and the dead saved the living," and stressed, "Now it is our turn to become the past for the future and save the descendants of tomorrow." At the same time, he promised, "I will respond to the solemn command to let hope bloom upon deep and great wounds, and to the earnest wish to create a completely new nation."