Korea’s 16th presidency begins

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Korea’s 16th presidency begins

Roh Moo-hyun was inaugurated yesterday as South Korea’s president with the National Assembly building as a backdrop.
“Reform is a driving force behind growth, and integration is a stepping stone for a takeoff,” President Roh said in his inaugural address to an audience of 45,000 persons. He promised to pursue democracy, build a society of balanced development and open an era of peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia based on reform and national unity.
The ceremony contained its share of symbolism; Mr. Roh walked up to the ceremonial platform accompanied by several persons who represent his vision of the new Korea. They included Ahn Cheol-su, the head of an antivirus computer software firm, the Reverend Choi Il-do, who ministers to the homeless, Korea’s first female fighter jet pilot and three persons selected from a group of people who vied for the honor over the Internet.
The new president stressed that a structure of peace must be erected on the Korean Peninsula in order to begin a genuine “age of Northeast Asia.” The peninsula “has to be reborn as East Asia’s gateway of peace that connects the Eurasian landmass with the Pacific Ocean.”
Mr. Roh called Pyeongyang’s nuclear weapons program a “grave threat” to world peace. “North Korea’s nuclear development can never be condoned. Pyeongyang must abandon it,” he said, adding that the world community would offer many benefits to the North in return.
“We will strengthen coordination with the United States and Japan to help resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue,” said Mr. Roh. “We will also maintain close cooperation with China, Russia, the European Union and other countries.” He also promised to make the South Korea-U.S. alliance a more reciprocal and equitable relationship.
The new president promised to eliminate irregularities and corruption not only for sustained growth of the economy but also for the health of society. “I will search for a structure and institutional alternative,” he said. “In particular, I ask all leaders of society to seriously reflect on themselves.”
The new president said the time when privilege and lawbreaking are tolerated must come to an end. “The preposterous climate in which justice is ignored and opportunism prevails must be cleaned up,” he said. “Let us build a society in which those who work hard are assured of the success they deserve.”
He visited the national cemetery in Dongjak-dong before the inaugural ceremony, where the president and his guests first sang the national anthem and prayed for the victims of the Daegu subway arson last week.
During the ceremony, artillery pieces fired a salute and military bands played. Mr. Roh left the site waving to the crowd through the sunroof of his limousine as he headed to the Blue House, his home for the next five years.


by Choi Hoon
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