Millennium Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Acceptance Speech
My fellow Koreans, Party Members, and Party Delegates,
Thank you.
You have made a great choice.
I am honored by your choice and accept it humbly.
All I can say is, thank you, thank you, and thank you. (Bowing to the audience)
During the primaries, each and every weekend, people lent me overwhelming support. The National Electorate did not hesitate a moment to come all the way to the primary venues to cast their ballot even though they had work to do at home. Your heart-felt participation and support made the MDP Primary a national festival. Thank you very much.
My special thanks also goes out to "RohSaMo" ("I Love Roh" Internet fan club). For my unflinching determination and passion you entrusted me with presidential candidacy. I will never forget your strong support, neither will I disappoint you.
I owe everything to my wife, Kwon Yang Sook. I feel really sorry for all that she had to go through with me during the primaries. I thank her and feel sorry for her.
Now, I have earned the presidential candidacy of the Millennium Democratic Party. This is not just a victory for Roh Moo-hyun himself. This is a Millennium Democratic Party victory. This is a victory for the Party Members and Delegates who sustained time-honored anti-dictatorship and pro-democracy traditions. And finally, this is a victory for all my fellow Koreans who chose hope over despair and frustration.
I would also like to extend my cordial gratitude and sympathy to my six fellow presidential primary contenders.
I will be sure to share their wisdom and energy.
I will also make sure that I work closely with the new leadership, to be elected here today, and walk shoulder-to-shoulder toward national unity and reform.
The Millennium Democratic Party is a party of strong drive and high potential. We fought for more than three decades against dictatorship for the purpose of defending democracy. We fought on behalf of Koreans who suffered under the dark forces of collusion between politics and business. Our Party has been, and always will be, integral to the pulsing heart of Korean hope.
My life has been the life of the MDP.
I have been dedicated and devoted to the progress of the MDP.
The path I have taken is the path the MDP has taken.
I am prepared and willing to sacrifice myself to regenerate the authority of the MDP.
I want you to know that the MDP victory will be in your hands on the December 19 Presidential election.
My fellow Koreans and Party members,
The primaries have illustrated how people are aspiring for change.
The relentless voter tempest blew away all previous political trend speculations.
And it is this relentless public will that ushered in an age of hope under the titles of reform and unity.
The challenge we face is to turn this hope into reality and
to construct a nation of renewed hope.
I will build a country with economic competitiveness.
It took only four decades to accomplish our unprecedented hundred-fold economic growth miracle.
Amidst the meteoric rise, however, Korea suffered the Asian economic crisis.
But the ruling "government of the people" overcame the crisis through wisdom.
Korea graduated from the IMF bailout program with top honors.
In a notably short period of time Korea paid back its entire 19.8 billion dollar debt.
Even as the world economy was retreating, Korea continued its relatively high rate of growth.
We must carry on the reform policies launched by the government of the people while maintaining "economic stability."
We must build a country where everyone is better off, including middle-income families and people of modest means.
Every person, while overcoming the crisis, did sacrifice in one way or another but they suffered disproportionately more.
Job security was threatened and the gap between the wealthy and the poor expanded.
The government of the people did promote constructive welfare but that was not enough.
It is time to harmonize economic growth with the distribution of wealth.
If I become the President, I will create many jobs.
I will narrow the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
I will stabilize middle- and low-income lifestyles by capping inflation and housing prices.
I will build a Korea that plays a central role in the shaping of Northeast Asia order.
The government of the people ushered in a new era of reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas.
The June 15 Joint Declaration (at the historic 2000 inter-Korean Summit) laid the foundation for peace.
Separated families (during the Korean War) were reunited and sea routes to Mt. Keumgang opened.
Wide-ranging human exchanges and economic cooperation began.
The Korean peninsula was free from the fear of war even in the wake of the 9.11 terror and the war on terrorism, all because of such changes.
To us, peace is a pre-requisite for survival and prosperity.
Inter-Korean cooperation must succeed.
Because that is how we can solidify peace on the Korean peninsula.
That precious peace will solidify a peaceful order in East Asia and generate new business opportunities.
I will make Korea a hub of Asian logistics and international business.
This will enable the Korean peninsula to elevate to new heights via the two wings of oceanic and continental expanses.
And that is how we can play a leadership role in the global community with independent pride and without recourse to powerful neighbors.
My beloved fellow Koreans,
That is my dream.
And that is the vision of the Millennium Democratic Party.
If everyone dreams about the same thing, the dream becomes reality.
To turn such a dream and vision into a reality, we must cross three bridges.
"Political Reform," "Principle and Trust," and "National Unity."
First "political reform."
The government of the people achieved a peaceful transition of power through popular vote.
No longer do the public employees need to line up behind the powerful to get ahead.
The media are free to criticize the government and the President.
No longer do citizens fear security-intelligence institutions.
We are enjoying a maturing democracy.
Our Party separated party from government and introduced an unprecedented national popular primary.
We introduced electronic voting and the bottom-up nomination system.
We literally opened a new era of politics by the people.
Now we are faced with the challenge of expanding the foundation of the party and strengthening it.
We must build a party embraced by youths, women, and intellectuals. We must renovate the organizational climate and culture of the Party.
I will put all my energy into helping the party make further progress as a presidential candidate and even after I become President.
Performance will become priority when appointing public servants.
I will not tolerate a cabal from a certain region or from a certain school attempting to dominate power.
We must rectify distorted political culture.
We must end the deeply rooted sense of vested interests.
All political scandals and so-called "gates" occurred because the figures around the President and high-level government officials clung to the outdated culture of vested interests and foul-play.
We were able to shed light on corruption and political irregularities thanks to such institutional reform as the real name financial transaction system.
I will forge ahead with stronger institutional reform so that breeches will be detected, brought to justice, and subject to heavy penalties.
The next bridge we must cross is "principle and trust."
"Upgrading Korea" is a buzzword today.
People stress the importance of knowledge and technology in ensuring competitiveness.
That is right, they are important.
But what we are really lacking is a social and cultural asset called "principle and trust."
The key strategy of "upgrading Korea" lies in upholding principle and cementing trust.
Our society has been swayed by opportunism, favoritism, and cronyism.
I will put a stop to them.
I will build a society where upholding principles and reason prevails.
It is principle that leaves no room for corruption and irregularities and thus sustains economic growth and prosperity.
I have been a man of principle since I went into politics.
After foul-play by the leadership, the people's suspicion would only drive the country into a downward spiral.
If we stand by our principle, trust will take root.
Principle and trust between the government and the people generate good policies and successful results.
Policy failures can easily be rectified.
Last but not least, we must cross the bridge of "national unity."
We must admit the government of the people failed to ease regionalism.
A regionally divided political map has distorted the landscape of our politics.
It is lamentable.
So long as politics and people are geo-politically divided, national policy, national government, and Chief Executive success stories are only wishful thinking.
I will never forget the sublime resolve the citizens of Kwangju demonstrated at the March 16 Primary.
The resolve touched off a wave of reconciliation in the heart of the Korean people.
And the resolve made our party a truly national party.
Now it is the whole of politics that should break away from the crippling effects of regionalism.
The parties must arm themselves with policies instead of seeking safe havens in their political strongholds.
I promise you.
Together, we will put an end to self-destructive, divisive politics
and achieve politics of unity.
I promise that no region will be discriminated against and no region will be alienated. To this end, I will revamp institutional frameworks and institute new practices.
The regional divide is not the only divide.
The gulf that divides labor and management is also a problem.
The government of the people tried,
but failed to achieve a labor-management harmony to a satisfactory level.
Without labor-management harmony, there is no economic stability.
I shared the sufferings of laborers under the oppression of dictatorship.
But after democracy started to bloom and labor rights were no longer denied, I played an active role as arbitrator between the management and labor.
When a company was at the cross road of failure or survival, I braved egg-throwing laborers to revive the company.
Settling disputes is an important part of government duties.
I will not be a President who turns a deaf ear to labor-management disputes.
I will be a President who prevents disputes that threaten the stability of society. And I will be a President who will, if need be, roll up my sleeves and be there to resolve differences between labor and management.
My fellow Koreans,
I, Roh Moo-hyun will become a modest President, not the kind of President who rules from the top, way beyond the reach of the people. I will be there for you if you need me. I will make myself available, ready to extend my helping hand to anyone who needs my help.
I will seek a democratic leadership with an open mind.
I will let my aides and public employees follow their own belief, not to copy mine.
I will be friendly with them, friendly enough to exchange jokes from time to time.
The prime minister and ministers will be empowered to exercise their view.
The cabinet meeting will be a venue for open debate.
I will be the kind of President who feels the pulse of the people.
Who knows, you might find me accompanied by just one bodyguard or two in the least expected places all across the country, say, in open-air markets and crowded streets? I hope you won't refuse my offer for a couple of sojus if you meet me there.
My beloved fellow Koreans,
And Party Members,
We are at a critical juncture where the nation's future is at stake.
As a reformist national party, the MDP must restore traditional party legitimacy.
We must put together the reformists within our Party boundaries who have been drifting apart at the mercy of divisive, region-based politics.
Together, we will answer to this historic calling.
When the 1992 presidential vote-count was announced, the Kyeongsang (Southeastern) region rejoiced, while the Cheolla (Southwestern) region was mute.
When the 1997 presidential vote-count was announced, it was the Cheolla region that rejoiced, while the Kyeongsang region was mute.
On the December 19, 2002 Presidential election day, people all across the country, all classes of people from all walks of life, will rejoice with glee, celebrating the birth of a strong President and a day of national unity.
I will grow from your strong support and will reform politics.
I will uproot power abuse and corruption.
I will break down walls between regions and achieve labor-management harmony.
I will complete reform and make this country economically competitive.
I will promote reconciliation of the two Koreas and bring a lasting peace to the peninsula.
My fellow Koreans,
The nation's fate hinges upon the choice you make in this year's Presidential election.
The Millennium Democratic Party must win.
And we will win.
Would you vote for someone entranced with a sense of vested rights?
Would you vote for a politician who is bent on stoking regional antagonism to his political advantage?
Would you vote for an authoritarian imperialist who gullibly believes that he is the top of the world?
Would you leave the fate of the entire Korean people in the hands of someone who fans distrust and confrontation between the South and the North?
Would you applaud a candidate who is obsessed with defending entrenched vested interests at the expense of the rights and interests of people of middle- and low-income?
Would enlightened Koreans embrace the politician who defies all changes and embraces only outdated anachronistic notions?
Of course NOT. Never.
I am fully convinced that people will not allow such a politician to turn the clock of history backwards.
The Millennium Democratic Party embraced the people's aspiring wishes and calls for reform and national unity.
Though painful, we are pushing ahead with across-the-board reform.
I have no doubt that the people will entrust our Party with the nation's future.
That is the call of history.
And we must answer to history's call to win.
And I believe that is the justice of history.
My fellow Koreans and Party Members,
Together, we can turn our dream into reality.
Together, we can build a wonderful world where honest and hard-working people succeed and fair play prevails.
Together, we can leave behind us an era of distrust and division and usher in a new era of reform and national unity.
Our children deserve a better world and a better history where justice prevails.
Thank you very much.
