Good morning, fellow Koreans,

May, when everything turns green, is referred to as the Month of the Family.
 
Of course, love for one’s family should be shown throughout the year, but in May, we have special days to take a moment and “officially” thank our loved ones. Children’s’ Day, Parents’ Day and Married Couples’ Day. Thus, the value of family is a subject that often occupies our minds whenever May comes.

In this meaningful, I wish all your families happiness and hope.

Fellow citizens,
To everyone, the family is where happiness begins and ends.
When I was Mayor of Seoul, one of the most pestering problems facing me was how to come up with effective measures for the ever-growing number of homeless people.

I met in person with many people living on the street and came to recognize that what they needed the most was a strong determination to stand on their own two feet.

With such an understanding, I started a program to train them for a certain period of time and provide them with job opportunities with the support of many businesses. Afterwards, I promised that they would be offered rental apartments with a monthly rent of only 50,000 won on the condition that they make savings of ten million won each month.

About six months later, I visited their workplaces. As soon as they saw me, they stopped working to greet me and pulled their bankbooks out of their pockets. Showing them to me, they demanded that they should be allowed to keep working even on holidays in order to save more money faster.
 

Their desperate wish was to be reunited with their scattered family members by saving up to ten million won as quickly as possible.

That was a far cry from what they had looked like before. What truly helped get them out of deep despair and to rise up again was the very power of the family, more than the bankbooks or rental apartments.

Later on, I met those who had successfully returned to their families. Even though they were not well off financially, I was told, they were living with their reunited families and were happier than ever before.

 
Yes, it is true. Family is the source of courage and strength. It is the spring of hope. The family is a strong bulwark that helps keep us from collapsing when we are reeling in the face of hardships. When the going is tough, the longing for the family grows all the more intense. That’s when we especially value the family, isn’t it?

Over the past five decades, the Republic pulled off a startling miracle. As a matter of fact, the driving force behind such success was the strong familial bonds, which cannot be found in many parts of the world.

Even at a time when we were suffering from hunger because of the lack of food, our parents tightened their belts to support their children at all costs. Brothers and sisters chose tough workplaces and went overseas, forgoing their own education to earn the fees for their younger brother’s schooling. Some even ran the risk of going to a war zone.

Such a spirit of self-sacrifice for the family still remains intact in our society.

Many mothers forgo sleep to work at restaurants and make money to buy textbooks for their sons. Numerous fathers go out to work as a designated driver even after finishing their daily work to earn their daughter’s tuition. Some sons and daughters willingly donate their organs to help treat their sick parents.

I am convinced that nothing can intimidate us as long as such a strong familial love thrives. It is because the family exerts miraculous might that can expand our potential tens or hundreds of times.

I myself experienced this truth when I was young. There were moments when I really wanted to run away from home because of the exacting weight of poverty. When I was desperate due to prolonged unemployment, it was my mother’s tearful prayers and the love of my relatives that helped me stand without wavering.

Thanks to such familial love, I could overcome challenges. After becoming President, I still feel the greatest happiness when I spend time with my grandchildren.

My fellow Koreans,

Sadly, many families in our society are now faced with a crisis. The nation reportedly ranks first among OECD countries in terms of divorces and suicides. What is especially worrisome is the fact that an increasing number of people have recently taken their own lives impulsively. It is deplorable that some Internet sites instigate people to commit suicide. But I have to emphasize that any person who is bold enough to consider suicide should be able to surmount any problem he or she might face.

It is also a matter of grave concern that our society is seeing more and more children who are unloved and hurt at the most critical time in their lives. They are in a dire need of a warm family atmosphere.

Didn’t we tide over much more difficult times than now, comforting each other? In the past, the harder the situation was, the firmer our emotional bonds became. I earnestly hope for the revival of such a spirit at this particular time.

The Government is doing and will continue to do its best to stabilize family life. The central factor constituting a healthy family is the assurance that they can earn a living. The Government will exert all its efforts to safeguard and create more jobs to the best of its ability.

I will make sure that the supplementary budget that has just passed the National Assembly will be spent to produce more jobs. Special care will be taken to make certain that the budget will be used where it is needed in a strict and timely manner.

The Government is taking measures to provide living and medical expenses to families that lost jobs on a short notice. This is an important part of the plan to support and safeguard families in crisis. At the same time, I recognize that Government support alone is not enough. And I hope every citizen will look around and help their neighbors in need.

I hope particular attention and love will be poured over single mothers with children, senior citizens supporting their grandchildren, multi-cultural families and children who are in the blind spot of the social safety net. I appeal to various religious and social organizations to be proactive in protecting families in crisis.

Fellow Koreans,

It is a well-known fact that nothing is more valuable, powerful and beneficial than a happy family life for children in carving out their way in life. I would very much like to see many cherished family memories made during May, the Month of the Family.

Isn’t it true that we can only call our society healthy and happy when our individual families are happy? There is hope as long as family members encourage and love each other. By reminding each other of this, let us all make this May a Month of the Family in the true sense of the word.

Thank you very much.