[Full Text] President Lee's March 1st Address: "Peace" Mentioned 24 Times, "Independence" 14 Times

107th March 1st Independence Movement Anniversary Held at COEX
Emphasis on Cooperation, Coexistence, Trust, and Dialogue

Yonhap News Agency

On March 1st, President Lee Jaemyung, in his commemorative address at the 107th anniversary ceremony of the March 1st Independence Movement held at COEX Auditorium in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, paid tribute to the devotion of the patriotic forebears. He stated that honoring and treating them with respect is not only a special reward for extraordinary sacrifice but also the minimum measure required to maintain the community. He pledged to expand the identification and recognition of independence activists who have not yet received official merits and to strengthen support for the families of independence patriots.

He also reiterated that, for peace on the Korean Peninsula, the South will respect the North’s system and will neither conduct any hostile acts nor pursue any form of unification by absorption. Regarding Korea-Japan relations, he promised to continue shuttle diplomacy and to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Korea, China, and Japan to foster harmony and peace in Northeast Asia, aiming to open a "new world of genuine understanding and empathy."

The following is the full text of President Lee’s March 1st commemorative address.

Dear citizens of the Republic of Korea,

7 million overseas compatriots,

Independence patriots and their families,

107 years ago today,

The resounding cry of Korean independence echoed throughout the world.

On that day, we were all united as one.

There were no differences of class or status, no barriers of age or gender.

Yeongnam and Honam stood together; there was no division between left and right.

In Pyongyang, Seoul, Busan, and Sinuiju,

from Halla to Baekdu, the entire nation was filled with shouts of "mansei."

Our forebears, in the face of Japanese oppression,

resisted at home through practical struggle,

and abroad through armed and diplomatic campaigns,

carrying that spirit forward to the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

Because we united for the greater cause rather than focusing on our small differences,

the March 1st Revolution ultimately bore fruit in the jubilation of liberation.

On the 107th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement,

I express boundless respect and unstinting praise to the patriotic forebears who gave their lives for independence.

I also extend my deepest gratitude to the four surviving independence patriots and to their families.

If it were not for the forebears who gave everything for the independence of our homeland,

for the hope of tomorrow for future generations,

the free and prosperous Republic of Korea we enjoy today could never have come to exist.

Thus, commemorating and honoring our forebears’ devotion

is a special reward for their particular sacrifice,

and the minimum action necessary for maintaining our community.

As I stated last Liberation Day,

we will expand our efforts to identify and honor independence patriots who have not yet received official recognition,

and we will take special care to provide stronger support for the families of independence activists.

We will designate the area around Hyochang Park as the National Hyochang Independence Park,

and prepare comprehensive plans to utilize the Shanghai Provisional Government building,

so that the spirit of our forebears’ independence will be remembered for generations.

Furthermore, on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Baekbeom Kim Koo this year,

we will continue his noble aspirations through commemorative projects involving the entire nation.

The self-deprecating saying, "Three generations of a family are ruined by engaging in independence activism," will disappear,

and those who devoted themselves to the nation will be respected,

while acts of betrayal against the community will be sternly judged-

we will surely build a nation where such common sense and fairness prevail.

Dear fellow citizens,

A century ago, when the March 1st Revolution occurred,

the world was in an era of upheaval, with the strong exploiting the weak.

Many countries, including ours,

suffered the pain of lost sovereignty and colonial rule.

Only after enduring the devastation of world wars

did the international community create new norms

to manage conflicts and maintain peace among nations.

However, today, a century later,

the world once again faces a period of dramatic change.

The international order established over more than 80 years since World War II

is now gravely threatened by the logic of power.

If we are to avoid repeating the same mistakes,

we must learn from the lessons of history.

The spirit of the March 1st Revolution instilled by our forebears

offers profound lessons to people around the world today, including ourselves.

The March 1st Revolution was both a declaration of independence and a declaration of peace,

serving as a compass guiding us toward a future of peace and coexistence.

Through the March 1st Declaration of Independence, our forebears

lamented "the loss of opportunity to contribute to world culture with new technologies and creativity."

They declared that, upon achieving independence,

"with the humanitarian spirit cultivated over thousands of years,

we will shed the light of new civilization upon human history."

They dreamed of a democratic republic where the people are the true masters,

not a world where the strong exploit others by force,

but a world where empathy, solidarity, and harmonious coexistence prevail-

a peaceful Dae-Dong society.

This is why we must deeply reflect on the spirit of the March 1st Revolution in this era, when democracy and peace are once again under threat.

In 1919, we were weak colonial subjects,

but in 2026, the people of Korea are a force that moves hearts around the world,

with infinite potential to change the world.

Our Republic of Korea is the only nation among those liberated from colonial rule

to have achieved both industrialization and democratization.

The great people of Korea

realized industrialization through the "Miracle on the Han River" after liberation.

Even under the oppression of dictatorship,

through the April 19 Revolution, the May 18 Democratization Movement, and the June 10 Democratic Uprising, we achieved democracy,

and through the Candlelight Revolution and the Revolution of Light, we illuminated the sovereignty of the people,

astonishing the world.

With an economic capacity ranking among the world’s top ten, "enough for a prosperous life,"

and the world’s fifth strongest military, "enough to deter foreign aggression,"

our Republic of Korea, now ranked seventh in global cultural influence,

is expanding understanding and empathy, spreading peace,

and realizing the dreams of our forebears.

What made this possible

was the spirit of the March 1st Revolution, inherited in the very lifeblood of our people.

The spirit of the March 1st Revolution, championed by our forebears and carried on by our people,

is undoubtedly the bright light leading people everywhere through this era of crisis, when democracy and peace are under threat, toward a new world of hope.

Dear citizens,

Let us realize here and now, on the Korean Peninsula, the dream of peace and coexistence so fervently desired by our forebears.

Let us build a peaceful Korean Peninsula that grows through coexistence and cooperation,

founded not on hostility but on trust,

for this is the true way to carry on the spirit of the March 1st Revolution.

Let us never turn away from the clear lesson of history-

that hostility and confrontation benefit no one.

Let us bring an end to this era of conflict and division that has lasted far beyond half a century,

and boldly advance toward a Korean Peninsula marked by peace, coexistence, and mutual prosperity.

As I have stated repeatedly,

our government will respect the North’s system,

and will not engage in any hostile acts nor pursue any form of unification by absorption.

Just as we have already taken preemptive steps to reduce inter-Korean military tensions and restore mutual trust through action rather than words,

we will continue to consistently promote all necessary efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the restoration of inter-Korean trust.

Regardless of our government’s intentions, last year’s drone incursion was a grave crime that threatened peace on the Korean Peninsula and should never have happened.

Acts that provoke tension and conflict on the Korean Peninsula, where North and South must live together,

cannot be justified by any excuse.

We will thoroughly investigate the facts, hold those responsible accountable, and establish institutional safeguards to ensure such incidents do not recur.

We will continue our efforts to reopen dialogue with the North.

As a "pacemaker,"

we will communicate sincerely with the United States and neighboring countries to promptly resume dialogue between North Korea and the United States.

Through practical tension reduction between the two Koreas and cooperation with relevant nations,

we will do everything possible to transform the armistice regime into a peace regime.

As the North also establishes and implements a new five-year plan,

we hope it will swiftly come to the table for dialogue,

leave the dark past behind, and move forward together toward a new future.

It is my hope that the cries of our forebears for global peace

will once again resound as a shared pledge by both South and North toward "a Korean Peninsula of peace and mutual prosperity."

Our relations with Japan, too, must develop on the basis of the spirit of the March 1st Movement, which sought peace and mutual prosperity.

Korea and Japan have shared a turbulent history.

There remain painful scars of the past and victims and bereaved families still suffering throughout our society.

Yet, the two countries opened the door to normalization of diplomatic relations

for a future of good-neighborliness and cooperation, despite unresolved pain and wounds.

For the past 60 years, Korea and Japan

have deepened cooperation in diplomacy, economy, society, and culture,

developing relations as close neighbors who share the same front yard.

Now, as we face a challenging international situation,

this is the time for Korea and Japan to respond to reality and open the future together.

The government of the people’s sovereignty will, through pragmatic diplomacy,

squarely face the past, address present issues together,

and strive to move forward toward the future in partnership.

We will continue shuttle diplomacy with Japan so that both peoples can more strongly feel the benefits of improved relations,

and will actively support the opening of new opportunities together.

I hope the Japanese government will also respond positively,

so that both countries can "open a new world of genuine understanding and empathy."

To wisely navigate this era of upheaval,

harmony in Northeast Asia is more important than ever.

Long ago, patriot An Jung-geun, in his "Discourse on Peace in East Asia," emphasized that cooperation among Korea, China, and Japan

is the path to contributing to world peace.

Recalling the significance of peace and harmony in Northeast Asia,

I have visited both China and Japan early this year,

emphasizing the need for Korea, China, and Japan to find common ground

and to engage in communication and cooperation.

In keeping with the aspirations of our forebears, who sought to extend peace in Northeast Asia to the world,

we will not cease our efforts for harmony and prosperity.

Dear 52 million citizens of Korea,

dear 7 million overseas compatriots,

Our forebears overcame small differences to unite as one, secure independence, and lay the foundation of the Republic of Korea.

If we, the great people of Korea who have inherited that spirit, join forces and fully realize our potential,

there is no reason we cannot make the peaceful world our forebears dreamed of a reality.

Let us, together, build the advanced democratic model nation,

a peaceful Korean Peninsula free from the fear of war,

and a flourishing Republic of Korea where culture blossoms-

just as our patriotic forebears and independence activists hoped and gave their lives for.

Let us, in the spirit of the March 1st Revolution,

pave the way together for peace, democracy, mutual prosperity, and co-prosperity.

Together with the great people of Korea,

I will move forward toward the light that our forebears so earnestly wished for.

Thank you.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.