Good morning, fellow Koreans,

Last week, we were faced with an unexpected and unbearably sad incident. My heart ached when I stood before the portrait of the former President and his grieving family at the funeral service held in the front courtyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace. I would like to offer my deep condolences to his family that lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather.

At the same time, I am grateful to the citizens who joined in mourning former President Roh Moo-hyun for cooperating with the Government on the logistics and allowing us to have the national funeral proceed smoothly. My hope is that we will all be able to overcome the grief and get back to our lives the way the former President would have wanted us to.

Fellow citizens,

On a different note, that a second nuclear test was conducted by North Korea last week is extremely disappointing and shocking news, not only to the Korean people but also to the world. When all countries are concentrating on surmounting the current economic crisis and, still worse, Koreans were in mourning, the North Koreans, pushed ahead with the nuclear test. They then fired several missiles in succession.

Since the North launched a long-range rocket last April, it has led to escalated tension. Our citizens, however, have reacted in a resolute and composed manner. The shocking nuclear test notwithstanding, Korean society and the economy have remained stable. People around the world are giving high praise for the way the Korean people dealing with the situation. 

Nobody would dare make light of us as long as we stand firm. We ardently aspire to peace, but we will squarely confront any threat.

Fellow Koreans,

The Government will safeguard the public under all circumstances. It has prepared watertight countermeasures against any possible contingency based on impeccable security readiness.

The international community will never tolerate North Korea’s intention to be recognized as a nuclear nation. The North’s possession of nuclear arms will pose a threat not only to peace on the Korean Peninsula but also in Northeast Asia. It would trigger a dangerous nuclear arms race and make it harder for Koreans to achieve peaceful reunification through reconciliation and cooperation. We must take the initiative in helping make the world free of nuclear weapons, by promoting a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. That is the only way to guarantee the future of the Korean people.

Immediately after the North Korean test, I talked over the phone with various leaders, including US President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.  

President Obama emphatically noted that North Korea must recognize the fact that the Korea-U.S. alliance remains airtight, and the U.S. nuclear umbrella is protecting, and will continue to protect South Korea without fail.

The Russian President, despite being away from the capital himself, telephoned me and promised that Russia would deal with the issue in a responsible manner befitting the nation holding the presidency of the UN Security Council.

China joined in on these stances. China is now engaged in discussions with us on how to work together with an unprecedented awareness of the seriousness of the situation.

The UN Security Council’s preparations for a resolution on sanctions against the North and the strong denunciation by the international community are not aimed at threatening the North Korean regime by swamping it with criticism.

Rather, the overriding goal is to pave the way for candid discussions that would help the North become a responsible member of the international community by abandoning nuclear weapons. This is the very point that I want the North to understand clearly.

North Korea has to realize the fact that posing threats to the stability and peace of the world with a nuclear arsenal would turn out to be extremely detrimental to the North Korean regime as well. 

If the North chooses military threats or provocative acts, turning away from the course leading to dialogue and peace, it would never be tolerated by the South.

Yet again, I want to make it crystal clear that there is no room for compromise regarding matters threatening public safety and national security. 

North Korea has to join the international community by discarding nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union collapsed even though it possessed nuclear weapons. Russia, China and Vietnam are now making outstanding achievements through pragmatic economic policies.

Even now it is not too late for North Korea. If the North Korean authorities sincerely open up their mind and engage in talks on the future of the two Koreas, the South would make efforts to address inter-Korean issues through dialogue and collaboration at anytime and anyplace.

The North has to refrain from stepping on a doomed path turning a blind eye to the road that will lead to mutual benefits and common prosperity.

Despite repeated threats from the North, you have shown trust in the Government policies and responded without losing composure. As President, I really appreciate that. The Government will continue to cope with the situation based on calm and coolheaded judgments in the future. The Government will make sure that Pyongyang will eventually return to dialogue.

Fellow Koreans,

As I promised, my Administration is striving to build a mature country with a global vision and this vision is being translated into action in a steady manner.

During the past year, the Government established a new framework of diplomacy through a series of summit talks with neighboring powers. On that basis, the width and depth of our diplomacy is being expanded substantially. As a member of the G20 nations, the Republic is playing a very active role.

It is well recognized internationally that the status and prestige of the country has been enhanced more than we think.

Today, the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit is opening on the island of Jeju, a green island of peace. The Government proposed the summit to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the dialogue partnership between the two entities and to put the Government’s New Asia Initiative into action. The leaders of all the 10 ASEAN member countries were gracious enough to attend the meeting.

ASEAN is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The 10-member organization is Korea’s third largest trading partner and second biggest investment destination.

With a population of close to 600 million, ASEAN member countries are scheduled to be integrated into a single economic bloc similar to the European Union by 2015. Korea is slated to complete a set of FTA agreements with ASEAN this month. When the Republic signs FTAs with the EU, India and the United States in the near future, it will have become a nation that freely trades with 2.5 billion people around the world. That means Korea will soon be a leading free trade country in the world.

In the light of this, I ask all Koreans to have interest in and lend support to the special ASEAN-Korea summit. The summit needs the full cooperation of the citizens of Jeju, particularly.

Now that national mourning has officially ended, I hope we all can start the new week with fresh determination to build a brighter future for the Republic.

Thank you.