President Moon Jae-in said the nation will become a strong and an untouchable economic power.
In his Liberation Day speech, the focus was mostly on the economy, as Moon urged the nation to continue to work towards becoming a responsible economic powerhouse.
Shin Se-min shares with us his remarks.
Building an unshakable nation,... that was the theme of President Moon's message to mark August 15th, the nation's Liberation Day.
Speaking during a national ceremony held at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do Province,... President Moon Jae-in said despite Korea becoming the economic powerhouse and the world's sixth largest exporter,... the nation still has long way to go in becoming an unshakable nation, as it remains divided.
But he promised to build a sturdy nation, even in the face of difficulties.
"Today, I renew my commitment to meeting the aspirations of the people to build an unshakable nation by reminding myself of our people who have demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of a series of crises."

And to achieve that, Moon highlighted three major goals.
The first,... upholding free trade and facilitating cooperation in East Asia as a responsible economic powerhouse.
The president said through the nation's firm grip on economic sovereignty,... the country can stand strong as the owner of its own destiny-- and he solidified the nation's will to overcome Japan's trade restrictions against South Korea.

"In the face of Japan's unwarranted export restrictions, we will continue our determined march toward being a responsible economic powerhouse."

And the president "gladly" left the door open for possible dialogue between Seoul and Tokyo-- should Japan choose the path of cooperation.
Second, taking the lead in upholding peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia-- by turning the nation's geopolitical position into a strength to connect the continent with the ocean.
Moon said the entire Korean Peninsula can achieve peace and prosperity through people-centered policies, and then spread that to East Asia, with the administration's New Northern and Southern Policies connecting them all.
And lastly,... a vision of "peace economy" to capitalize on a denuclearized Korea and inter-Korean partnership.
Through establishing a peace economy,... the president said the divided Koreas will naturally become one and realize true liberation.

"I pledge to solidify denuclearization and the peace regime on the Korean Peninsula during my term in office. I pledge to solidify the foundation so that we can stand tall in the world as one Korea by achieving peace and unification by 2045, which will mark the 100th anniversary of liberation."

As for the continued talks between Pyeongyang and Washington-- the president said their soon-to-come working-level talks will "probably constitute the most critical juncture" in the peace-building process,... calling for all possible support to make them a success.
Shin Se-min, Arirang