Today, I am happy to announce the establishment of the “Lee Myung-bak & Kim Yoon-ok Foundation.” It is a heartening and emotional moment for me because I am now able to mark a chapter of my life which has given me so much. I myself wondered many times when this day would come.

My life’s journey can be considered a condensed version of my country’s own history, a history filled with untold drama, deep sorrow, daunting challenges and of course, soaring accomplishments. Without the miraculous achievements made by the people of this great country, a boy from a devastatingly poor family would have never become its president. Without the countless people who offered their hand to a poor boy during these trying times, I would not be here today.

Every morning, my mother prayed for me and for others. Her deep and abiding love is what sustained me. I would have given up studying because my family could not afford to send me to school were it not for a teacher of mine who continued to encourage me to go to school, even if that meant going to night school. Thanks to him, I did go to night school but I had to work during the day and study by night. During these times, I remember the kind-hearted man who allowed me to peddle my goods in front of his store. There was also the used book store owner who gave me his books for free, telling me to study hard so that I could go onto college. When I did get accepted to college, I needed to find a way to pay for my tuition. Knowing this, my neighborhood shopkeepers loaned me the tuition in advance and for the next four years gave me extra workloads as I tried to pay them back by being a garbage collector. These are the people I have never forgotten and whom I will never forget. Looking back, I realize that all of them who helped me were also not very well-off. And I know that the best way for me to pay back such kindness is to give back to society what I earned.

I started work at a company in my 20s and became CEO in my 30s. During these times, I went wherever I was required to go, whether it was the scorching desert or the freezing Siberian wilderness. I have always been proud to have stood in the very forefront of my country’s development. When I first entered this company, it was a small company with less than a hundred employees but by the time I left, it grew into a global multinational conglomerate with over 160,000 employees. How can I ever forget the late Mr. Chung Joo-young and the numerous colleagues whom I worked with side by side throughout these challenging yet rewarding times?

For a long time, instead of leaving my estate to my children, I always wanted to give back my personal fortune to society. My retirement from the private sector was when I made up my mind to do so, as is written in my memoir.

Real happiness for me was the relationship that I was able to have with such warm individuals. To me, it was never about making money or attaining status or achieving fame. I have always been proud of the material wealth that I managed to accrue because I know it was the result of the sweat and tears that I shed throughout my life. This is why I hoped for a long time that it will be wisely used to help those who really need it.

Today, that day has finally come. Today is a wonderful and joyous day. I sincerely thank all the members of the preparatory committee for their excellent work in keeping true to my wishes and for finding the best way to set up this foundation.

My mother was a simple person with almost no formal education, a person who was never well off throughout her entire life. But, she never forgot to take care of the needy and she showed us this through her actions. She is the one who taught me this precious gift of giving and I am glad that today I am able to keep the promise that I made with her. I thank my mother in heaven.

I am also eternally grateful to my dear wife and children who happily agreed with my decision. Although I no longer have anything to give them, we have gained something immensely more valuable : greater love and respect for each other.

All humans are equal. The rich and the poor; the mighty and the weak; the employer and the employee; the manager of a big conglomerate and the owner of a small corner shop, they are all equal whose dignity and rights must be respected. We must respect one another.

Not only as the president, but as a fellow citizen, I yearn for this country to be a country where we care for one another, a country where genuine love and understanding abounds and overflows. I dream of a country where love, not material wealth, makes it a truly beautiful country. All the riches of this world mean nothing without love.

I sincerely thank the people of this great country. I thank you for allowing me to do what I always dreamt of and for making this possible.

Thank you.