President Lee: "Korea's Remarkable Growth Achieved Together with the Tireless Efforts of Overseas Koreans"

President Lee Attends World Korean Day Ceremony on September 28

“We Will Strengthen Support So Koreans Can Take Pride in Their Heritage”

On September 28, ahead of the upcoming “World Korean Day,” President Lee Jae-myung stated, “Just over 80 years after liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Korea has grown into a nation that draws the world’s attention,” adding, “This miraculous achievement was made possible by the tireless effort, dedication, and sacrifice of our people, as well as the tremendous efforts of compatriots like you.”

President Lee made these remarks at the 20th World Korean Day ceremony held in Incheon that day. He noted, “Thanks to compatriots like you, who settled down in unfamiliar lands, endured prejudice and discrimination, and earned the local society’s trust through sincerity and responsibility alone, Korea was able to achieve such dazzling growth and global recognition in a short period of time. Therefore, the lives of our compatriots are deeply intertwined with the history of Korea.”

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a commemorative speech at the 20th World Korean Day ceremony held in Songdo, Incheon, on September 28, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, “The seven million overseas Koreans living in 181 countries around the world represent seven million local points of connection for Korea. The Korean government’s support for overseas Korean communities is not a unilateral benefit given to someone living abroad. Rather, Korea and its overseas compatriot communities empower one another, and these networks established across the globe are an investment for passing on to the next generation.”

President Lee also pledged, “We will treat the difficulties experienced by compatriots as the starting point for institutional reform, and good ideas will be reflected in policies and budgets to ensure implementation.” He added, “We will further strengthen support for next-generation education so that our children, wherever they live, can take pride in their Korean roots.” He additionally promised to establish a digital integration platform for overseas Koreans and to improve the overseas Korean election system.

Furthermore, President Lee stated, “If the seven million compatriots and 52 million people in Korea come together as one greater Republic of Korea, I am confident that we can become a nation more trusted by the world and one that contributes more powerfully to a better future for humanity. Just as we have created miraculous achievements over the past 80 years that no one could have predicted, let us join together to build an ‘irreplaceable Korea’ that no one else can replicate.”

'World Korean Day' was established in 2007 as a statutory memorial day, observed annually on October 5, to commemorate the contributions of overseas Koreans active around the world and to strengthen their ties with the motherland. At the ceremony that day, more than 1,200 overseas Koreans attended, including representatives from Korean associations and economic leaders from around the world, as well as second-generation Koreans, adoptees, and those active in education, culture, science, and medicine. This gathering also included returnees to Korea from diverse backgrounds, such as the Korean Association of Kazakhstan and the Sakhalin Returnee Association.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.