Today is Korea's March 1st Independence Movement Day.
And today also marks the 100th anniversary of the movement..... that helped to free Korea from Japan's oppressive colonial rule.
For more on this... let's connect to our Blue House correspondent Hwang Hojun,... at the Presidential Office Press Center.
So Hojun, the ceremony is taking place just a day after the second Kim-Trump Summit in Hanoi.
There must've been a lot of pressure on President Moon.... as he gave his first public address since yesterday's dramatic scenes...
Well Jiyoon, while the main objective of President Moon's speech was about the centennial anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement,... it was inevitable the South Korean leader would talk about the results of the summit.
He insisted the summit was still a significant step that advanced mutual understanding and trust between the leaders of Pyeongyang and Washington,... and highly evaluated the fact that President Trump and Kim Jong-un both mentioned the possible establishment of a liaison office between the two countries.
While the outcome was far from what many expected,... President Moon said it's just another hurdle to overcome,... and it's up to South Korea to build a peaceful Korean Peninsula in the future.
Take a look.
"Now our role has become even more important. My Administration will closely communicate and cooperate with the United States and North Korea so as to help their talks reach a complete settlement by any means...The new Korean Peninsula regime refers to the order of the coming century in which we will take on a leading role. Working together with the people and with North Korea as well, we will create a new order of peace and cooperation."
Citing the many crises throughout modern Korean history,... such as the colonization of the nation, the 1950-1953 Korean War, and its past of poverty and dictatorship,... President Moon asserted permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula will be firmly settled only when Korea surmounts many critical junctures.
President Moon said he will continue efforts to normalize Pyeongyang-Washington relations and consult with the U.S. on ways to jumpstart inter-Korean economic cooperation,... such as the resumption of tours to Geumgangsan Mountain and restarting operations at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
President Moon also stressed the importance of national unity as well,... which could be seen as a jab at his political opponents.
He said such ideological stigmas were tools used by Japanese imperialists to divide the Korean people.
He noted that the use of the word "Reds" within political circles,... is another kind of quote "Red Scare",... and according to President Moon, the term is a vestige left by pro-Japanese collaborators, which must be stamped out as quickly as possible.
Hojun, as you pointed out President Moon said (QUOTE) "now our role has become even more important."
What exactly does he mean by that?
Well, just to jog our viewers' memory,... the Blu