Kim Dae-Jung Address

Address by President Kim Dae-jung of the Republic of Korea at a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress
June 10, 1998, Washington, D. C.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished members of the Senate and House, ladies and gentlemen.

A rare succession of world leaders has been accorded the honor of speaking from this lofty podium. But today, I am the first to have been twice snatched from death by the decisive actions of your nation.

You first saved my life in 1973, when I was kidnapped and nearly murdered by the military regime, and again in 1980, when a dictatorship sentenced me to death.

I escaped five attempts on my life; one by Communists; the other four by military dictators. Living 40 years of my life under surveillance, I spent six years in prison -- and more than 10 years in exile or under house arrest.

In 1973, I was kidnapped in Tokyo and taken onto a ship. Bound and gagged, I was about to be thrown overboard. But, as only someone who has brushed up to death’s door can know, I saw Jesus Christ near me. I prayed for my life. And I truly believe God saved me.

At that moment, an airplane flew over the vessel and stopped my abductors. Later, we learned the plane had intervened because of information from the United States.

In 1980, I was arrested by the leaders of a military coup d’etat and sentenced to death. If not for the active efforts by President Carter and President-elect Reagan, this podium would now be empty.

In prison, threats of death were ceaseless. But I could never make a separate peace with a dictatorship. I could never betray the people.

And when they said I would die, still I never gave in, even though I was afraid of death. Every now and then, I look in the mirror, with deep emotion, and wonder how I overcame 40 years of such trial. Even now, the anguish and doubt of those times are hard to talk about.

Only years later did I hear words attributed to your great statesman, Abraham Lincoln, and come to know their true meaning: "I will prepare, and someday, my chance will come."

So the improbable Korean journey that has brought me to this, democracy’s most famous home, is not lost on this humble and fellow public servant.

And to those of you in this chamber, to those Americans who fought for democracy and to whom my life is literally owed, I will never forget the example of your safe haven. I will never forget America and the destiny that so strongly binds my political life to your nation.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished members of the Senate and House,

A century and sixteen years ago, our two nations established formal relations. It is a long and unbroken friendship. The United States helped liberate Korea from the iron chains of Japanese colonialism and defend the Republic from Communist aggression.

Today, in this chamber, with deepest gratitude, I pray between these words for the souls of more than 33,000 young Americans who sacrificed their precious lives to defend the Republic from Communist tyranny. How can I thank the brave Americans who fought nearly fifty years ago in that horror of a war? Some of you here fought in that war. For this sacrifice, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. In defending Korea, you helped set us free.

Yet today, there is no peace on the Korean Peninsula. At this hour, armed forces of the Republic and the United States stand within sight of North Korean Communist troops in a state of hostility. And that must change. We must bring a real and permanent peace to the Peninsula and nudge North Korea toward cooperation and reconciliation.

So to the leader of North Korea, I say: First, no armed provocation by North Korea will be tolerated -- under any circumstances. Second, we will not undermine your regime, or attempt unification by absorbing the North. Third, we will pursue with you across-the-board exchange and cooperation. Support for this approach comes from Koreans -- and from Japan, China, Russia, the United States and many other nations around the world.

Above all, I say again, we must not tolerate armed provocation by North Korea. We must secure peace through strength. Our purpose is not war. We seek only peaceful cooperation with North Korea.

In this regard, the Geneva Agreed Framework must continue to play an important role in promoting peace and stability on the Peninsula, and strengthening the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. Thus, even with our current economic difficulties, Korea will faithfully abide by our commitment to the KEDO project. And we hope the United States continues to smoothly implement the Agreed Framework.

To lead North Korea toward reconciliation, the Republic and the United States should promote a "sunshine" policy -- offering inducements against the backdrop of strong security measures. And we should extend to North Korea both goodwill and sincerity, so suspicion dissolves and openness emerges.

Above all, we need a flexible policy. To get a passerby to take off his coat, so the fable goes, sunshine is more effective than a strong wind.

We are going to promote cooperation in a wide range of areas --under the principle of separation of politics and economics. We want America s support in this effort. Both our nations need to be more confident, coordinated, and composed in our relations with North Korea.

We hope such an overall approach gives North Korea psychological room to open its mind -- and its doors. To be sure, we will never relax our vigilance against North Korea. But neither will we be afraid to pursue peace.

This is what I believe. This approach, this doctrine, is the most secure and stabilizing for the Peninsula, for Northeast Asia, for America and for the world.

Indeed, Northeast Asia is one of the world’s most important regions, militarily and economically. The United States, Japan, China and Russia all have a stake in this region.

Nearly surrounded by these four powers, Korea’s national and security interests are substantially influenced by them. And I am convinced the continued presence of U.S. troops in East Asia, including Korea, is consistent with American national interest and necessary for peace and stability in the region.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President,

For 30 years, Korea has sustained economic growth. But late last year, we began to face grave economic difficulties due to a sudden and unanticipated shortage of reserves. America has taken the lead in international efforts to assist us through these difficult times. And may I say it is truly good to have friends in times of need -- I remember vividly a phone call from President Clinton and his encouraging words the day after my election, as well as the many messages from members of this great Congress.

The cause of our economic problems is quite clear. My predecessors did not practice democracy and a free market economy. In fact, there was too little democracy, too much collusion with big business, and too much government-directed finance. Corruption prevailed. Imprudent borrowing weakened our nation’s banks and businesses.

Today, Korea faces a long and hard challenge. Unemployment is at a record high. Sales are falling. Bankruptcies are increasing. Nevertheless, the people and government are joining hands to overcome the foreign exchange crisis and to reform the economic structure. Labor, business and government are doing their part to rebuild the economy. Reform bills have been passed. Changes are underway.

As a result, encouraging signs have begun to appear. Foreign exchange reserves now total 35 billion US dollars -- a far cry from the mere 3.9 billion dollars tallied on December 18, the day I was elected. Once skyrocketing foreign exchange and interest rates are on a downward trend.

We remain focused on reviving Korea’s economy. And what we need now, more than anything else, are foreign investors. Since the crisis, Koreans have become far more positive about accommodating foreign capital. A recent poll showed 87 percent of Koreans now believe foreign investment is beneficial to our nation’s economy.

Inspired by this support, we have moved decisively to revise laws and regulations so that international investors can operate under the same conditions as Koreans. In fact, Korea will become one of the best countries for international investors to freely and safely do business. This is a precious opportunity. And we must seize it.

In international trade, we will open our markets. Unfair regulations are being abolished. And we will no longer tolerate legal discrimination against foreign products. Free trade is essential for success.

Pursuing reform of this magnitude, we need help from others. And we need unreserved support from the United States.

Korea is America’s eighth largest trading partner and one of your staunchest allies. Today, I appeal to you and to the American people: We need your encouragement for our reforms to succeed, and for us to become a stronger trading partner in the future.

It may be remembered that at important times Korea was there for America, too. For example, during your own economic downturn in the 1980s, Korea dispatched special purchasing delegations to the United States and bought billions of dollars of your goods. Over the years, Korean corporations have individually invested over one billion dollars each in the U.S. In 1996, Korea purchased from America 11.6 billion dollars more than we sold to you, absorbing more than half the total trade deficit of that year. And Korean Airlines just concluded a two-billion-dollar contract with an American aircraft manufacturer.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President,

I am grateful for the help we received from the IMF, the IBRD and other financial institutions. With the IMF’s strong support, we are aggressively and successfully promoting restructuring of our economy to the level of other advanced countries.

In a sense, the IMF is to international finance what the Federal Reserve is to your nation’s financial system -- the lender of last resort. The IMF may well have to play again a critical role in averting and stabilizing future economic crises. And the IMF deserves continued support.

Korea is going to dedicate this year to economic reform. To be sure, Koreans must endure cruel tests of unemployment, inflation, recession and bankruptcy. But many experts believe conditions will improve substantially in the second half of next year. The Korean economy will then reenter a stage of solid growth, bounding ahead, beginning in the year 2000.

Korea can do it. We built one of the leading economies in the world in just three decades, rising from the ruins of war. We have a proven potential. We are resilient. But we now need your help.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President,

At this thrilling moment for me -- in a life that has already been long and not entirely uneventful -- millions of Koreans are also listening to these words. And I am sure they feel very proud: Korea’s first President to be elected through a genuinely democratic process, is speaking in this, democracy’s most hallowed hall. My countrymen will surely join me in wanting our two nations to grow closer and rise to a higher partnership, to a higher friendship.

Across Asia, a valuable lesson is being learned: Where there is no democracy, there can be no free market economy; and where there is no dynamic free market economy, there can be no competitiveness. Many people in Asia, and around the world, are beginning to agree that democracy and a free market economy can and must flourish together, as one.

Today, we face a fundamental challenge in working together to help Korea move beyond the current economic crisis, so it can once again stand boldly as a model of inspiration for the world.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President,

Thank you for helping me stand before you as the President of a democratic Korea.

Today, how can I help but think back to destiny -- to the two times your nation saved me from death? So much was endured throughout that long and hard struggle for real democratization in Korea that today, our two nations are obligated to ensure it was all truly worthwhile.

Twenty-five years ago and eighteen years ago, America’s decisive actions saved me from paying the highest price an individual can pay. Today, I say, let us join together in a higher friendship that stands as a shining example of democracy’s true destiny.