However, with great speaking skills and strong Busan dialect, the former human rights lawyer was always confident, in fact bold enough to throw his n… - Roh Moo-hyun

Fellow citizens. Historically, we Koreans have lived through a series of challenges and have responded to them. Having to live among big powers, the people on the Korean peninsula have had to cope with countless tribulations. For thousands of years, however, we have successfully preserved our self-respect as a nation as well as our unique culture. Within the half century since liberation from colonial rule, and despite territorial division, war, and poverty, we have built a nation that is the 12th-largest economic power in the world.

When I drink a little, I sometimes recall my old days. Then I ask myself: 'What does Roh Moo-hyun mean in my life?' He really defined my life. My life would have changed a lot if I didn't meet him. So he is my destiny.

We must build strength and maintain vision. That requires inexorable efforts for reform and integration. Reform is a driving force behind growth, and integration is a stepping-stone for a take-off.