“We will be a government devoted to the elderly like children fulfilling their duties to parents.”

Parents’ Day is a day to show respect for our elders. The highest form of respect we can pay them is to learn from their wisdom. The elderly citizens of our country are the ones who have helped make today’s Republic of Korea by overcoming many crises, such as colonial rule, war, poverty and dictatorship. The wisdom to surmount today’s crisis can also be learned from them.

Our elderly citizens are the ones who have tolerated and endured today’s difficulties while looking toward tomorrow. Despite their own hardships, they ardently wished only for their children’s success. Their tremendous zeal for education has made it possible for the Republic of Korea to advance into a country that – in a multitude of areas – never lags behind, including economic power. Our people have come to have higher civic consciousness compared to the people of many other countries. Our national status has been elevated thanks to Korea’s COVID-19 response – now a global standard – but this was not achieved overnight. On the occasion of Parent’s Day, I offer a deep bow out of profound respect and gratitude to our elders who’ve helped nurture our capabilities so that we can now take pride in ourselves.

The “tomorrow” our elders have yearned to create has become our “today.” We will remember each and every part of their lives and pay deeper respect. We will be a government devoted to the elderly like children fulfilling their duties to parents. We will further advance a national system that will take care of dementia patients and look after the health and welfare of the elderly more carefully. We will further broaden their realm of activities, such as jobs, to allow them to play a role in society for a longer period.

Children can never fully repay their parents’ love. Thus, I hope that people hold Parents’ Day all the more dear in “the family month” of May and that they display heartfelt sentiment even though not commensurate. I also hope that everyone fully expresses love for the elderly. I pin carnations on the chests of fathers and mothers everywhere with a heart full of love and respect.