Good morning, fellow Koreans,

I am recording this on the plane back home after the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which ended in Yokohama earlier on Sunday. That explains the noise in the background; I hope you understand.

The leaders from around the world whom I met at the APEC summit this time expressed their heartfelt pleasure with the G20 Seoul Summit and extended congratulations. That success can be ascribed to the proactive cooperation and warm support of all of you.

Besides the participating heads of government, many government delegates, nearly 5,000 domestic and international journalists, members of civic groups and others had to move all at once to the various events surrounding the Summit. It is no wonder many worried about possible traffic congestion on D-day.

In the past, when there were large-scale international events, the Government used to enforce driving bans to reduce the number of cars on the streets by up to 50 percent. This time, however, the Government left it completely in the hands of our citizens. Despite that, many people voluntarily forewent driving and used public transportation. Thanks to their cooperation, traffic in the vicinity of COEX where the Summit was held was as good as it ever gets.

I was surprised by the result, and many citizens felt the same. Thinking about those worries, I came to realize that the Government has yet to keep abreast of the changes in our people.

When I spoke with many of the participating leaders, I proudly told them how actively our citizens were cooperating. I believe the approximately 5,000 journalists must have been deeply impressed when they moved around in and out of the Summit venue.

The merchants working in the vicinity of COEX as well as even street vendors nearby were so cooperative. I am grateful to them once again. Religious communities, too, were united as one to pray for the success of the G20 Seoul Summit. I wholeheartedly appreciate it. A number of civic groups across the nation announced statements in support of the Summit and provided voluntary services. I am also thankful to them.

My special appreciation goes to volunteers from every corner of the country. Their dedicated service began with the opening of the Gyeongju G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting. I am truly proud of our volunteer workers—the young men and women, who crisscrossed every nook of the conference hall with bright and confident expressions. Some Koreans living abroad even put their own business on hold to come and help. Many young students studying overseas came back home temporarily to work as volunteer workers. They were all proud of themselves, saying it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

There were many older volunteer workers, too. The oldest among them was Choi Jae-won, who is 80 years old. He said, “We have built this country out of the ashes of the war. People in my generation feel that it is a miracle for Korea to join the Group of 20 powerful nations. Now we are especially moved by the fact that Korea plays host to the Summit.”

I am very much obliged to them all.

The ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly joined forces and adopted a resolution in a supra-partisan manner in the hope that the G20 Seoul Summit would be turned into an epochal catalyst for the country’s great advancement onto the center stage of the world. I am appreciative of the support of the National Assembly.
 

Every one of us in the Republic of Korea came together with one heart and one mind for the success of the Seoul Summit. We have pulled off something we were not able to experience anytime before in our history.

I was charged with a heavy sense of responsibility by the necessity that the Republic of Korea must take the initiative in efforts to discuss and resolve global issues. Now that we have successfully wrapped up the Summit, I am only grateful to all of you.

Many people exerted themselves behind the scenes for the success of the Summit. A great number of soldiers, police, maritime police, firefighters, guards and cyber security personnel worked very hard, for which I feel heartfelt appreciation. Thanks to all their laborious services, it was possible to wrap up the Summit without a single mishap.

Considering many international conferences that I have attended so far, the Seoul Summit was truly exemplary in that all such safety-related operations were exercised in a low-key yet impeccable manner.

Many professionals and public servants also did their utmost. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the officials from the Presidential Committee for the G20 Seoul Summit and all others involved who worked flat-out for over a year to set agenda topics and coordinate the sharply divided interests of nations. Ministers, sherpas, financial experts and all other professionals concerned faithfully fulfilled their own duties while maintaining close cooperation with one another.

Businesses also made significant contributions by participating in the G20 Business Summit and joining forces in the process of inviting business leaders from other nations. I appreciate their collaboration.

The leadership and capabilities Korea has so far cultivated on the international scene were fully demonstrated on this occasion. Many talented people exhibited a high level of expertise that matches global standards. Many foreign professionals who worked together with Korean experts were deeply impressed and gave high marks to their abilities.

Leaders of nations were also amazed at the seamless and convenient operation of meetings. Their collaboration was also impressive. Many leaders acknowledged our abilities to induce agreements on thorny issues, including the matter of currency exchange rates that nearly evolved into conflict.

Probably on my trips to other countries in the near future, I will receive praise on behalf of the Korean people from many leaders who will express their thanks to Korea. Thinking that I am receiving congratulations for the hard work of all the related officials and all our citizens, I would like to express my appreciation once again to everyone.

The leaders who were most impressed about the summit results were those from poor African nations. When I met them, they grabbed my hands and expressed their genuine thanks with tears filling their eyes. That is because Korea engaged seriously in discussions of issues related to the development of emerging and developing countries in Africa and other regions. There have been discussions on world poverty in other meetings, but none was able to produce such concrete action plans as the G20 Seoul Summit did. The reason we were able to rouse gratefulness in these nations is that we can read their mind and understand their situations quite well.

Fellow Koreans,

Only fifty years ago, our country was one of the most indigent countries in the world. Through the summit this time, I have become more confident that our country is now being given yet another big opportunity.

Through the efforts of all Koreans, we were able to host the G20 Summit, and that proved to be a milestone in our national fortune. The fact that the summit is praised as a greater success than any in the past is a historic feat for us.

One hundred years ago, Korean delegates were blocked from attending international conferences because the nation had lost its sovereignty. Only 10 years ago, when the Republic was faced with a foreign exchange crisis, the country had no choice but to accept humiliating, unreasonable conditions to get help from the IMF.

But now, the Republic came to preside over a global summit and take the lead in reforming international financial organizations, including the IMF. We can now justifiably hold out our chests and step forward with self-confidence in the international arena.

Of course, this is not the last big success we will be able to achieve. When other people recognize us and give us a high evaluation, we have to resolve to do even better on a sustained basis. We have to make sure to seize the opportunity when it is presented to us. It is my earnest hope that the successful G20 Seoul Summit will prove to be an occasion for Korea to be reborn as an even better nation in all fields of national undertaking. When all the people become united at a time like this when the national fortune is on the upswing, the country is bound to emerge as a leading nation that gives good guidance to the world.

At the Summit, I explained to the leaders that one important guiding principle of the Republic is to build a fair society and appealed to them to follow suit in the interest of a fair world.

We can accomplish this goal; we must do it. The G20 Seoul Summit represents the triumph of the Korean people and the Republic.

Once more, I pay a tribute of deep respect and gratefulness to all the Korean people. I will report to you on another occasion about the details of the good results of the G20 Seoul Summit.

Thank you very much.