South Korea Swears In Conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol: ‘The Most Important Core Value Is Freedom’

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office on Tuesday in a regal inauguration ceremony featuring tens of thousands of people – a jarring image compared to the barren streets under the strict coronavirus protocol of leftist predecessor Moon Jae-in – emphasizing freedom as the paramount value of the country.

Yoon won the presidency in an extremely close and bitter race in March against Moon’s hand-picked candidate Lee Jae-myung that featured a barrage of personal, and sometimes physical, attacks on both sides. Yoon rose to prominence as a prosecutor tasked with high-profile corruption cases – prominently including that of former President Park Geun-hye, sentenced to 24 years in prison for giving a cult leader access to sensitive national security material while in office. Moon pardoned Park in December and Yoon invited her, South Korea’s first woman president, to his inauguration on Tuesday.

Yoon ran for president as part of the right-wing People Power Party (PPP), the successor party to Park’s Liberty Korea Party (LKP). Moon’s and Lee’s Democratic Party struggled to maintain support after a series of scandals involving sexual harassment and assault. The presumed Democratic Party presidential candidate before Lee, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, committed suicide in 2020 after being accused of sexual misconduct while in office.

The president emphasized expanding individual freedoms in the country in his inauguration speech, a bold message after two years of strict Chinese coronavirus restrictions under Moon. He stated that using freedom as a guiding principle would require dramatic changes to both domestic and international policy.

Moon reportedly used the word “freedom” in his inauguration speech 35 times.

“Belief in shared values is paramount if we are to successfully overcome these challenges. And the most important core value is freedom,” Yoon said. “We must clearly define – and unequivocally reaffirm – the real meaning of freedom.”

“Human history shows that when political and economic freedom reigns supreme, that is where prosperity and abundance flourished. When prosperity and economic freedom flourishes, that is when freedom reaches even the darkest corners,” Yoon continued.

“Freedom is a universal value. Every citizen and every member of society must be able to enjoy freedom. If one’s freedom is infringed upon or left uncorrected, this is an assault on everyone’s freedom,” the president emphasized. “Freedom is not something only for the winner to enjoy.”

In an apparent nod at the difficulties Moon and local officials caused by shutting down businesses during the pandemic, Yoon asserted, “in order for everyone to enjoy freedom, everyone must be allowed to enjoy a certain level of economic freedom; everyone must be guaranteed the right to receive quality education and everyone must be granted the freedom to access and experience various cultural activities.”

“If one’s freedom is violated or one is denied the basic necessities that are fundamental to being a free citizen, then the rest of society must come together and make amends,” he concluded.
Yoon’s government has vowed to offer businesses forced to shut down during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic financial compensation for their losses, an apparent recognition of the damage lockdown policies caused.

Yoon also declared South Korea a major world power and told citizens, “it is incumbent upon us to take on a greater role befitting our stature as a global leader.”

“We must actively protect and promote universal values and international norms that are based on freedom and respect for human rights. We must take on an even greater role in expanding freedom and human rights not just for ourselves but also for others,” Yoon said. “The international community expects us to do so. We must answer that call.”

Yoon also issued a message to North Korea, the communist dictatorship on South Korea’s border that has remained technically at war with Seoul since 1950 and regularly threatens to attack it with nuclear weapons.

“While North Korea’s nuclear weapon programs are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat,” Yoon said. “If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea’s economy and improve the quality of life for its people.”

Yoon invited 41,000 people to his inauguration, creating a dramatic display of confidence in moving on from the pandemic.

Yoon also changed the protocol for citizens to visit the Cheong-wa-Dae or “Blue House,” the president’s official residence. The president removed the requirement that visitors be allowed on the grounds only with an official guide and accepted 26,000 applications to visit the site on Tuesday.

“Unlike Blue House tours under the Moon Jae-in administration, the current tours are without a guide, basically allowing visitors to roam around permitted areas for nearly two hours,” Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo explained. “While previous tours handled 1,500 visitors a day, the new tours will be open to 39,000.”

Yoon has refused to live in the Blue House and promised to return it “to the people.” Not living there or operating his office out of it would allow for more public access and greater function as a historical site and museum.

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