President Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday he would "do his utmost to build a warm community where citizens enjoy their rightful powers as true owners of the nation and share the fruits of growth together."
The president delivered the message in a congratulatory address at the 132nd Anniversary Ceremony of the Donghak Peasant Revolution held at the National Museum of Korea, with Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young reading the speech on his behalf. "I pay deep respect to the resounding cries, courage and noble sacrifices of the Donghak Peasant Revolution participants who sowed the precious seeds of democracy in this land," Lee said. "The Donghak Peasant Revolution, which awakened the awareness that the people are the foundation and owners of the nation, was a great first step for Korean democracy."
He added, "The spirit of the Donghak Peasant Revolution, which resisted unjust power while dreaming of a world where people live with dignity and a Daedong world where all prosper together, has become an undying lamp in our hearts." He stressed that "the spirit, which has been passed down continuously through the independence movement, the April 19 Revolution, the May 18 Democratization Movement, the Candlelight Revolution and the Revolution of Light, has become the source that has brought Korea into full bloom today as an exemplary democratic nation that draws global attention."
"The sovereign government is also connected to the Daedong world that peasants dreamed of in 1894," Lee said. "Together with the people, I will build a Korea where everyone enjoys fair opportunities without anyone being left out — a country where all prosper together, and a country where the people are the owners, achieving a more advanced and mature democracy by overcoming the disparities we face."
