Fellow Koreans, members of the Armed Forces and distinguished guests,

It is very meaningful to have this event in celebration of the 69th Armed Forces Day to renew our resolute determination for strong security and responsible national defense. I join all the people in congratulating you on Armed Forces Day.

I am truly proud of the Republic of Korea Army, Navy and Air Force here today.  All Korean people must feel reassured and relieved as well.

The mighty prowess of our Armed Forces stands on the sacrifices of our fallen service members who gave their lives to defend the country. Saliently, the 2nd Fleet Command of the ROK Navy is fraught with the souls of our men in uniform who fought to their deaths to safeguard the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea. I believe that the mettle of our fallen heroes, from the time when they fought against imperialist Japan for independence and served in the Korean Liberation Army to the present, is here with us today. I pay profound tribute to their souls; they demonstrated the spirit of a soldier`s duty to die for his country not just in words but in deed. I also convey my deepest sympathy to their families.

In addition, I am grateful to the founders of our Armed Forces, reservists, war veterans and the members of U.S. Forces Korea for their contributions. The Republic of Korea never forgets that their service has laid the groundwork for our Armed Forces.

At this very moment, our 600,000 service members are carrying out their duties entrusted by the country. As they are quietly fulfilling their missions on land and sea and in the air at home as well as on foreign soil, we can go about our everyday lives. We should always remember this fact. With appreciation for the dedicated efforts of our proud servicemen and women, I applaud and encourage them.

Fellow Koreans, officers and men and women in uniform,

What we are pursuing is unequivocal. That is peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. Our children and grandchildren should be able to enjoy shared prosperity on a free, peaceful Korean Peninsula. We have a responsibility to leave such a world to them. Peace and prosperity on the Peninsula is an absolute responsibility, vested to the President by the Constitution, which does not allow for any exception.  Having experienced the devastation of war, for us, nothing is more valuable than peace.

The security crisis surrounding the Korean Peninsula is becoming worse than at any time before, requiring greater perseverance and pain from us. Nonetheless, nothing can undermine our determination for peace. We must prevail over this crisis and will protect the peace.

Our immediate goal is clear. We have to stop North Korea’s provocations and persuade it to abandon its nuclear program. To this end, the Government is making utmost efforts. The ROK-U.S. alliance remains unshaken in every respect. Cooperation with the international community is closer than ever in history. The community of nations responds to the North’s provocations with unprecedented swiftness, decisiveness and unity. This all points to the fact that the Korean Government’s commitment to protecting peace has received extensive support from the international community.

The Korean Government’s determination to safeguard peace is anchored in formidable national defense capabilities. Reckless provocations will only be met with tough responses.

Without strong security, it will be impossible to make or keep the peace. Our armed forces’ combat strength overwhelms that of North Korea.

On the basis of the solid ROK-U.S. combined defense posture, my Administration is now making all-out efforts to manage the current situation in a stable manner while further enhancing our military readiness posture to make sure that an escalation of tensions does not lead to a military clash. On top of these endeavors, the Government will further expedite the reinforcement of our deterrence capabilities against North Korean nuclear weapons. 

My Administration and our military will never show any hesitance in safeguarding the people and homeland. Our armed forces and I, as President, will always be in the forefront of protecting the people and homeland.

Officers and men and women in uniform,

Today, as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, I am going to share my ideas on the new beginning and missions of our military with you all. 

The national defense reform is a mandate from the people, which cannot be delayed any longer. An intensive national defense reform is a responsibility to keep the people and homeland safe in the face of an especially grave security environment. To make sure that changes in the external environment do not lead to public anxiety, we need to enhance our own security capabilities, stability and reliability. The national defense reform amounts to paving a new and trustworthy path, along which the military can protect the people and win their support.

We now need to boldly go beyond the efforts and achievements so far. Only when the military plays a genuine key role in the reform efforts can we break from the reform drive in name only. Then, it will be possible to make the glorious history of our military shine more brightly and realize a strong security and responsible national defense.

For the success of the reform, as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, I will provide all possible assistance and take all possible measures. Under all circumstances, I will work together with the military to make the reform successful.

To this end, I would like to emphasize a few points. 

First, our military must be ready to win.

The top priority is to secure abilities to counter the North Korean nuclear and missile threats. We have to further strengthen our Kill Chain preemptive defense system and the Korea Air and Missile Defense. It is also necessary to significantly develop the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, which is designed for thoroughgoing retributions. As these three powerful Korean systems are the core of our military`s independent capabilities, I hope best efforts will be made for their early completion. 

Together with these efforts, we have to strengthen the ROK-U.S. combined defense capabilities. It will be possible to fundamentally curb the North`s nuclear provocations when the ROK-U.S. extended deterrence is actually exercised. I urge you to give your best efforts to make it possible for our armed forces to play a leading role in establishing a stronger and a more stable combined defense system.

My Administration is pursuing the early takeover of the wartime operational control. The handover on the basis of our independent defense capabilities will ultimately lead to a remarkable advancement in the fundamentals and abilities of our military. When the South has wartime operation control, the North will fear us more, and our armed forces trusted more. With elevated self-esteem, our military will become stronger, and the Republic of Korea will emerge as a security hub in Northeast Asia. I am convinced that our military is equipped with such capabilities. The people and I have confidence in our armed forces.

Second, from commanders to the rank and file, all members of our military need to be full of patriotism and high morale. A strong national defense does not come only from weapons. The morale of the military is the very source of a strong national defense.  Any ills in the military that undermine morale must be eradicated.

Corruption in defense acquisition programs is not only a crime but also an enemy of national security. It is an act benefiting the enemy that spreads distrust in the armed forces and, as a result, hurts the morale of most employees in the defense industry who devote themselves quietly to the country, and moreover, that of the entire army. In the whole process of the defense procurement system, related corruption must be rooted out completely.

The human rights of military personnel must be guaranteed, and their military service conditions have to be significantly improved. I make a special request to the military command at various levels in the armed forces. You have to deeply understand many parents who say they feel very affectionate toward soldiers dressed in uniforms whenever they see them on the street. Each and every military personnel is a precious son or daughter who carries out the sacred duty of national defense. The country has a responsibility to return them to their family in good shape. With a sense of duty to carry out the responsibility on the front, I ask you to make special endeavors to improve their welfare. There must be considerable progress as well in the tasks of promoting gender equality, strengthening human rights protection, reforming the military judicial system and ascertaining the truth about mysterious deaths in the military.

I also make a request to rank-and-file soldiers. You should not forget how precious each and every one of you are. You have more than just a duty for national defense. You also have an obligation to become healthier and more mature in your body and mind and return to the arms of your family and society. The Government and I will help you successfully complete this mission. I will actively seek to improve military service conditions, including reducing the duration of military service, increasing the number of professional soldiers, raising the salary of rank-and-file soldiers and assisting them in self-development. I will work to improve military culture so that the country you protect will become a country you are proud of. I hope that you will also be able to take good care of yourselves and your colleagues more.

Fellow Koreans,

We have the potential of turning numerous ordeals into opportunities. The history of defense of our homeland reminds us that national security cannot be achieved just through talk but only through action. It also shows that peace cannot be realized just through a slogan but can be maintained only by enormous patience and painstaking action. The Government believes in the power proven by the history of the Republic of Korea and is walking on the path of strong security and unwavering peace.

Through intensive and swift military reform, the Korean military will be reborn as strong armed forces that will make peace without fail, protect the people and be regarded with respect by them.

The armed forces are wonderfully carrying out their mission of guarding the country. They are full of determination to fight for the country with indomitable courage under any circumstance. As fish cannot live out of water, a strong military is created with respect and support of the people. I ask all of you to have unlimited trust in and support for military personnel in the days to come so that the people and the armed forces, as one, can assume the best national security posture.

Officers and men and women in uniform, 

The determination and active roles of the armed forces are more important than ever before. I hope that you will take pride in yourselves as the bastion that protects peace and your nation. I will always be with you so that you can walk the difficult but honorable path of soldiers with pride.

I congratulate you again on the 69th anniversary of Armed Forces Day and wish you all the best for a glorious future.

Thank you very much.