Wearing a gray diagonally striped tie and a Taegeukgi badge, President Lee takes the podium
Applause erupts at key moments, including the declaration of Korea’s full return to the international community and the pledge not to pursue unification by ab
On September 23 (local time), President Lee Jaemyung mentioned "Republic of Korea" 33 times, "peace" 25 times, "democracy" 12 times, and "Korean Peninsula" 8 times during his 20-minute keynote speech at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
President Lee, who was the seventh to deliver a keynote speech following King Abdullah II of Jordan at the UN headquarters in Manhattan, New York, took the podium at 12:49 p.m. wearing a navy suit, a gray diagonally striped tie, and a Taegeukgi badge.
The speech lasted 20 minutes, exceeding the standard 15-minute allocation typically given to world leaders. Former President Yoon Sukyeol spoke for 15 minutes in 2022, while former President Moon Jaein delivered a 22-minute speech.
On this day, President Lee declared the Republic of Korea's complete return to the international community after overcoming the 12·3 Martial Law Incident and announced a new vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula by presenting the "END Initiative," which stands for Exchange, Normalization, and Denuclearization. He also emphasized the need to strengthen UN-centered multilateralism and pledged that the Republic of Korea would fulfill its role as a responsible global power. Furthermore, he announced that he would share the vision of the "APEC AI Initiative" at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju to address threats posed by artificial intelligence (AI).
Applause broke out during the speech when President Lee declared the Republic of Korea's full return to the international community and when he stated that the country would not pursue absorption-based unification nor engage in confrontation or hostile acts. Additional applause was given when President Lee said, "Toward a new path of 'Better Together,' the Republic of Korea will boldly take the lead." In total, he received three rounds of applause.
Regarding the challenges facing the United Nations, President Lee emphasized, "The answer lies in the wisdom of the visionaries who founded the UN and in the path proven by the people of the Republic of Korea. There is only one way-more democracy," as he raised the index finger of his right hand.
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