The country failed to nurture its strength because the ruling group that refused to make accommodations for any changes whatsoever and because those … - Roh Moo-hyun

The fundamental reason why Korea was colonized was the imperialistic world order that swept the world at the time. Much as the imperialistic waves had been rough and high, we would not have lost our country if we had been prepared internally to meet the challenge.

We have overcome numerous challenges with inner strength. We have the wisdom to turn even crisis into opportunity. With such wisdom and strength, let us again overcome the challenge facing us today. Let us make future generations remember us as proud ancestors just as, today, we remember our forefathers.

The Korean Peninsula is located at the heart of the region. It is a big bridge linking China and Japan, the continent and the ocean. Such a geopolitical characteristic often caused pain for us in the past. Today, however, this same feature is offering us an opportunity. Indeed, it demands that we play a pivotal role in the age of Northeast Asia in the 21st Century.