President Yoon Seok-yeol’s inauguration ceremony was held on the front yard of the National Assembly building at 11 a.m on May 10th. Under the slogan “Again, the Republic of Korea! A new country of the people,” President Yoon Seok-yeol expressed his ambition to rebuild a country where the people are the owners.

On the day of the inauguration ceremony, the front plaza of the National Assembly building was crowded with attendees. About 41,000 invited guests. including former presidents, diplomatic envoys and the general public attended the ceremony. Many high-ranking government officials from neighboring countries were present as diplomatic envoys. Among them were Douglas Emhoff (husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris), Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and others. In addition, 20 people that had been selected as “representatives of people’s hope” were also at the ceremony. Among them, actor Oh Young-soo, winner of the Golden Globe award with the drama Squid Game, Park Moo-geun, also known as Daddy-Long-Legs who has donated 100 million won anonymously every year for 10 years, were included.

In his inaugural address, President Yoon mentioned the national policy directions. He emphasized “freedom” as a universal value to overcome domestic and international conflicts and crises. He also diagnosed the current situation as a crisis of democracy, pointing to “anti-intellectualism in which each person chooses only the facts they want to see and hear or suppresses the opinions of others by the power of the majority.” Yoon said that the expansion of freedom can be based on prosperity, abundance and economic growth.

Citing extreme polarization and social conflict as the most urgent domestic problems, Yoon said it not only threatens democracy but also hinders social development. As a solution to these, he emphasized “leap and rapid growth” by science, technology, and innovation, adding, “Many people can find new opportunities in the process of rapid growth and eliminate the source of conflict by enhancing social mobility.”

On the North Korean issue, he stressed cooperation on the premise of “denuclearization,” saying, “If North Korea stops developing nuclear weapons and switches to actual denuclearization, we will work with the international community to prepare a bold plan to drastically improve the North Korean economy and lives.”

President Yoon has to face many tough challenges at home and abroad. Many people worry about his five-year administration. They pray sincerely for his administration’s success and our nation’s stable development as well.