"The door to unconditional dialogue is still wide open. Both South and North Korea should hold dialogue as soon as possible," said President Lee Myung-bak on Mar. 1. He said this in a speech marking the 90th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement at a ceremony held at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong Province) that morning.

"What would actually protect North Korea is not nuclear weapons or missiles, but inter-Korean cooperation and its cooperation with the international community. Nobody should damage stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula," he added. "Denuclearization is the shortcut for North Korea to develop fast as a member of the international community."

President Lee also said, "In this process, we, alongside the international society, are ready to help North Korea substantially. South and North Korea have reached agreements on recognizing and respecting each other and seeking peaceful coexistence and co-prosperity. I will respect such inter-Korean agreements and try to develop inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation based on those agreements."

He went on to say, "South and North Korea should meet and join hands to make a leap forward for the Korean nation in conformity with the spirit of the March 1 Independence Movement."

Remembering the independence fighters'' spirit, he said, "The spirit of self-sacrifice and harmony, which the independence fighters displayed during the March 1 Independence Movement, is the zeitgeist that we need today. We can''t overcome difficulties if we have individual or collective egoism." "We should find a win-win way for all of us," he also stressed.

Turning to the worldwide economic crisis, he said, "We need to overcome the current crisis faster than others and turn it into an opportunity to reform each sector of society." And he said, "Despite difficulties, we can''t stop changes and reform, let alone give up principles to make a detour."

The President asked the people to overcome the current economic crisis with confidence, and share, comfort and encourage each other. He said, "I believe in the potential of the Korean people who can become stronger and unite more firmly in the face of crisis. I believe in the passion of Korean people who never lose hope under any difficult circumstances."

The ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement was held at the Grand Hall of the Nation of Independence Hall, with the attendance of about 2,500 people, including government officials such as Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, former independence fighters, and foreign diplomats. It was the first time the government had ever organized such a ceremony at Independence Hall.