(Unofficial Translation)

It’s a pleasure to meet you all.

Over the past five years, we have been working very hard to safeguard the peace and security of the Republic of Korea. For us, peace and security are the prerequisites for our survival as well as prosperity. Our military’s top commanders are attending today’s luncheon, including the Minister of National Defense, the Chairman of the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chiefs of three branches of our armed forces, the Deputy Commander of ROK/US Combined Forces Command and Commandant of the ROK Marine Corps. Other key officials present are the Commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration and President of the Agency for Defense Development. I am very pleased to have this time before the end of my term to compliment you on your extraordinary efforts to protect our peace and security and give words of encouragement.

Since we have maintained our peace and security so well, there are many who have come to take these for granted, believing them to be ever-present natural occurrences like air. In the early days of my Administration’s launch in 2017, however, a series of missile launches and nuclear tests by the North triggered a crisis situation on the Korean Peninsula. In addition, this touch-and-go crisis at the brink of exploding into a war was the result of a continued show of force by North Korea and the United States. Amid this situation, we made every possible effort and turned that confrontation into a period of dialogue and diplomacy that has enabled us to maintain peace and security to this day.

Our armed forces have been at the center of this. We have not just relied or focused on dialogue and diplomacy. Instead, we have always done everything we could to maintain and further enhance a military strength that is stronger than ever. My Administration has increased the defense budget more than any previous administration and made significant investments in improving its defense capabilities, which led to Korea being placed sixth in the Global Firepower ranking. In this way, we were able to pursue dialogue and diplomacy on the foundation of strong military power and achieve peace through strength.

I’d like to express my gratitude for your hard work once again. I also hope you will be sure to convey my appreciation to all members of our armed forces.

With the enhancement of our military strength, the prowess of our defense industry and relevant science has risen accordingly. As a consequence – though not disclosed earlier – our defense-related exports exceeded US$7 billion last year, which befits our ranking in Global Firepower. Now, those exports have finally surpassed related imports. This year, defense-related exports are projected to increase further. The advancement of our defense industry and scientific know-how also contributes to the development and growth of our private-sector industries.

In addition to its inherent mission of national defense, our military has played an enormous role in a wide variety of fields in terms of comprehensive security. The most typical example is the fight against COVID-19. In such epidemic prevention and control efforts as quarantines, the transport of vaccines and treatments provided by military medical staff, the military played very essential roles. Our successful anti-epidemic endeavor has also laid the foundation for the Korean economy being the fastest in the world to recover.

Moreover, if it weren’t for the military, I believe that we would not have been able to properly deal with the Goseong wildfire and other natural disasters and keep the African swine fever from spreading. Concerning forest fires going forward, more efforts will have to be made, and the Korea Forest Service has to acquire more equipment such as large firefighting helicopters that can operate in the dark or strong winds in particular. However, this cannot happen overnight. Thus, until such equipment can be secured, the role of the military is very important. I ask you to arrange continuous joint drills with the firefighting authorities and make relevant efforts so that the military’s large helicopters can be used effectively to extinguish forest fires.

On the other hand, thanks to the peace and security that we have worked so hard to safeguard, we have been able to successfully prevent any military clashes with North Korea during the five years of my Administration. I believe this is the second time that there have been no inter-Korean clashes, going back to the Roh Moo-hyun administration. During previous administrations, there have been a number of military conflicts such as the sinking of the corvette ROKS Cheonan, the artillery attack on Yeonpyeongdo Island and the explosion of wooden-box mines. Compared to those incidents, which perpetuated a fear of war, I believe we have accomplished a very precious achievement.

Given its recent ICBM launch or other moves by North Korea, however, the crisis on the Peninsula could become serious again.

There are concerns that in some cases, such emergency situations that were experienced before in the early days of my Administration may continue during the transition period or the start of the next Administration. I ask the military to maintain a watertight defense posture so that such concerns can be dispelled.

These days, the people are particularly concerned that there may be gaps in our security due to the planned relocation of the Presidential Office and the resulting relocation of the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters. I urge you to maintain an even more thorough defense posture to eliminate those concerns.

Once again, I express my gratitude for what our military has achieved in terms of security and peace over the past five years. I ask the military to continue to play a pivotal role, so peace and security can be maintained during the next Administration.

Thank you.