(Unofficial translation)

Fellow Koreans from abroad, 

Congratulations on the 13th World Korean Day, the festival for the 7.5 million Koreans overseas.

The significance of World Korean Day is all the more salient as this year marks the 100th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and the founding of the Provisional Republic of Korea Government.

I am grateful to our compatriots for commemorating this day with dances, songs, paintings and marches in many different parts of the world. I welcome some 400 leaders of Korean communities in 77 countries, who are visiting Korea on behalf of their respective regions. I also express my gratitude for the fact that the World Korean Community Leaders Convention being held at the same time adds even greater significance to the World Korean Day. 

The lives of our overseas Koreans tell the history of the Republic of Korea’s independence movement and also that of modern Korea steeped in a combination of tears and glory.

The February 8 independence declaration announced in 1919 by Korean students who were studying in Japan served as a catalyst for the March First Independence Movement. Funds for the independence movement donated along with the blood and sweat of Korean laborers working on sugarcane fields in Hawaii and rubber plantations in Malaysia as well as money collected through pitch-in campaigns by Koreans working on henequen farms in faraway Cuba provided an enormous boost for the Provisional Government.

Even after Korea’s liberation, our compatriots overseas have continued to invest in their homeland’s economic development and sent donations at every critical juncture, including the Olympic Games and foreign exchange crisis. Believing that genuine acts of patriotism and struggles for independence are tied to everyone prospering together, they have shared their experiences as immigrants and helped each other. 

They have assisted their homeland’s growth while working with diligence, sincerity and integrity at restaurants, farms, factories, coal mines, hospitals and laundries in far away foreign lands. Their contributions have made it possible for Korea to emerge as an economic powerhouse with US$30,000 in per capita income. The patriotism of the first generation of Korean emigrants, who reached out to the world with their bare hands, and their descendants’ brilliant achievements in various fields have enabled Korea to become a cultural powerhouse that inspires the entire world through Hallyu and diverse cultural contents.

We have bestowed orders and medals of merit and citations on those who have contributed to promoting the education and unity of our future generations helping the Korean diaspora to never forget their national identity. We have also bestowed them on those who have played a leading role in improving the Korean community’s economy and protecting the rights and interests of its members. I believe that all of you here deserve these awards. I would like to express my special congratulations and respect to the six honorees. 

Proud Koreans from abroad, 

It is a great pleasure for me to meet compatriots every time I visit other countries. Official overseas trips are always tense and demanding, but I receive great encouragement from emigrants who have already established themselves in a foreign country, still love their homeland and show support for me. I am so proud of them all, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation once again. 

Two years ago, I promised here that I would protect the safety, rights and interests of our diaspora. I also pledged that I would strive to help define Korean identity for our posterity and to promote the common development of the Korean community and the Republic of Korea.

Last year, a Crisis Management Division was launched to provide real-time safety information around the clock 365 days. We have sent emergency response teams to the sites of such natural disasters as typhoons, tsunamis and earthquakes, and swiftly and safely rescued our people affected by marine accidents, hostage-taking and terrorism. The time required to repatriate our people during a crisis has been reduced to 30 hours compared to the past when one week was the norm.

In 2018, for the first time ever, we recruited consuls responsible for incidents and accidents exclusively and dispatched them to 32 diplomatic missions in 28 countries. As of September this year, a total of 117 such consuls are working at 84 diplomatic missions, and the number will continue to increase going forward.

Legal and institutional systems have also been established. An act to provide consular assistance to protect Korean nationals residing abroad has been enacted to clarify its related scope, mission and legal grounds. In July, an ordinance pertaining to overseas Koreans was amended to allow more of them legal residence in Korea regardless of how many generations back their ancestors had emigrated. In addition, consular services are being improved to streamline relevant procedures through the Government for Overseas Koreans project.  

When the next generation to take up future leadership roles possesses self-esteem as Koreans, the overseas Korean communities will be able to grow further and continue to develop. 

The number of overseas Korean students invited to Korea and related budget allocations are growing every year. Support for Korean language schools and training for teachers at those schools have been increased. 

For the joint development of overseas Korean communities and the Republic of Korea, I listened carefully to candid suggestions at meetings with community members. All achievements that originated from suggestions made by overseas Koreans include the opening of the Museum of Korean American Heritage in New York, the planned establishment of the Da Nang Korean Consulate General in Vietnam, the publication of “100 ans d'histoire des Coréens en France” (100 Years of Korean History in France), the relocation of the Korean International School of Bangkok in Thailand, and the extended stays for those in India on employment visas.

Fellow Koreans from abroad, 

The Republic of Korea’s accomplishments over the past century reflect the patriotism and dedication of overseas Koreans. The 7.5 million Koreans abroad will also have a very important role in the Republic of Korea’s next century going forward. 

As Taegeukgi flags being waved in every corner of the country 100 years ago helped us come together as one, I ask you overseas Koreans to unite once more for the Korean Peninsula’s peace and prosperity. In the same way that the heartfelt efforts of overseas Koreans helped turn the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games into a successful peace Olympics, I am also looking forward to your support in hosting the proposed 2032 Seoul-Pyeongyang joint Olympics.   

The way to truly repay overseas Koreans for their endeavors over the past century is to build a proud Republic of Korea. 

We will work to build a nation that cannot be shaken, a country where everyone prospers together and a homeland that can bolster us in our daily lives. We will build a properly functioning country that overseas Koreans can trust and rely on. 

I feel reassured about the Republic of Korea’s next century because of you overseas Koreans. 

Thank you.