UN General Assembly
2017

To that end, I hope the world will look to the Republic of Korea, located on the southern part of the Korean peninsula at the eastern end of the Eurasian continent. I believe the candlelight rallies last winter in my country represented a historic moment that reflectedthe brilliant achievement of the spirit of the United Nations. Embodying the power of cooperation and solidarity in defiance of challenges, the rallies lit the way ahead towards a future for humankind. Some may remember the scenes of the candlelight rallies shown by the media. On streets sparkling with millions of lights, people expressed their opinions freely and joined in discussions on every street corner. There was singing, dancing and painting, the radiant faces of parents taking their children by the hand to join the rallies, and the pride of young people who picked up trash on the streets afterwards. All those scenes were very much a part of our democracy and peace.