President Yoon Suk Yeol announces his "unification doctrine" at a ceremony on Aug. 15 to mark the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Yoon Sojung 

President Yoon Suk Yeol announced his so-called "unification doctrine" at a ceremony to mark the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day.

Dubbing unification as a "crucial historic challenge that must be addressed," President Yoon said, "Only when a unified free and democratic nation rightfully owned by the people is established across the entire Korean Peninsula will we finally have complete liberation," at the ceremony held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul's Jongno-gu District.

"I declare our unification vision and strategy to our citizens, the people of North Korea and the international community," he said.

To accomplish the goal of a unified Republic of Korea, President Yoon presented three tasks – ensuring people "firmly possess the values and capabilities needed to pursue freedom," changing the minds of the North Korean people "to make them ardently desire a freedom-based unification," and Seoul standing "in solidarity with the international community."

On the first task of building a firm belief in the value of freedom among the Korean people, President Yoon said, "The government and I will do everything possible to defend the value of freedom in our society." He said, "We will expand welfare programs that are tailored to provide intensive support to those in need and attend to their lives more compassionately, thereby protecting and expanding freedom for all of our people," while accelerating education, labor, pension and healthcare reforms that are needed to make society fairer and more sound.

On the task of bringing about changes and helping the North Korean people so that they can have a strong desire for a freedom-based unification, the president said, "We will take a multifaceted approach to substantially improve human rights in North Korea." Mentioning Seoul’s offer of relief supplies to the North for flood victims there earlier this August, Yoon said, "We will actively push humanitarian aid, including food and healthcare, for vulnerable segments of North Korea’s population."

President Yoon also proposed that the authorities from both Koreas establish a working-level "Inter-Korean Working Group" where the two sides could discuss any issues ranging from relieving tensions on the Korean Peninsula to economic cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and disaster and climate-change responses.

Reminding people of the "audacious initiative" he proposed on Liberation Day two years ago, the president said, “We will immediately begin political and economic cooperation the moment North Korea takes just one step toward denuclearization,” urging Pyeongyang to respond to Seoul’s proposal.

In regard to solidarity with the international community, the president noted, "We must make sure that the international community is convinced that a unified Republic of Korea will be a country that contributes to peace and prosperity around the world."

President Yoon highlighted Seoul’s commitment of contributing to the international community by playing a leading role in narrowing the development, climate and digital divides that exist among countries, and leading in establishing new global digital norms.

"By building upon these contributions and roles, we will work harder to garner the international community’s support for freedom-based unification," the president said, adding, "To this end, we will create the International Korean Peninsula Forum together with like-minded countries."

"We will strive to build a consensus on our unification while strengthening the solidarity of freedom with our allies and friendly countries."

arete@korea.kr