President Kemp of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies,
Dr. Lee Myung-hyun, President of the Korean Organizing Committee,
Dr. Samuel Lee, President of the Korean Philosophical Association,
Professor Kim Tae-gil, the preeminent philosopher of our time in Korea,
Distinguished participants from the global philosophical community,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would first like to thank President Kemp and members of the Organizing Committee for their kind invitation to speak to you on this special occasion of the 22nd World Congress of Philosophy.
On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of Korea, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all of you who traveled a long way from all over the world to attend this meeting.
Personally, I am particularly pleased to be back to Seoul National University since I served as Professor of Economics for 18 years before I joined public service in 1988.
I am also pleased that today’s meeting is being held in Seoul. It is especially meaningful given that Seoul is the first Asian city to host the World Congress of Philosophy (WCP), also known as “the Olympics of Philosophy.”
As we already know, the World Congress of Philosophy was established in 1900 and since that time has played a key role in encouraging philosophers, through intensive philosophical introspection, to seek greater wisdom and more viable solutions to a wide range of problems facing the humanity.
I am confident that today’s meeting in Seoul will also present an excellent platform for distinguished philosophers to contemplate the gravity of challenging tasks calling out for our solutions and, in so doing, explore ways on how to address them for a better future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The role of philosophy is gaining more importance as our world is getting more complicated and as we face a growing body of intractable issues. I believe that philosophy is indeed vital to tackling issues of our common concern such as terrorism, global inequality and environmental degradation.
We have witnessed that philosophy has offered eye-opening explanations to the knotty problems which neither history’s highest civilizations nor the state-of-the-art technology and science were able to answer.
It is because philosophy not only takes more universal and fundamental perspectives than any other discipline toward problems which lie in the heart of human lives and our world but also provides feasible solutions to those intractable issues.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Throughout the history of Korea spanning five thousand years, Korean people have enriched the soil of Buddhist and Confucian cultural tradition in which our own philosophical thoughts could blossom to the fullest.
As we moved into the 20th century and introduced Western culture and institutions, Koreans enjoyed opportunities of exploring the new frontier of philosophy where Eastern ideas encountered with the Western counterpart.
It is my firm belief that this tradition and philosophical groundwork laid the cornerstone for the founding of the Republic of Korea which celebrates the 60th anniversary this year.
It was sixty years ago when we embarked on a new journey with firm commitment to promoting democracy and market economy in then young republic.
Today, Korea is the world’s thirteenth largest economy and plays a leading and predominant role in various sectors of the world economy including semiconductor, automobile, steel, shipbuilding, petrochemical and electronics, to name a few. Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world as its information and communications industry is one of the most advanced. We are also immensely proud of achieving democratization through a long, challenging but rewarding process.
Six decades ago, Korea was among poorest and most destitute countries in the world with its per-capita income being less than 100 dollars.
Since then, Korea has set a rare example for the world by treading the thorny path of industrialization while unrelentingly pursuing the democratic ideal.
In a short half century, our nation has achieved what no other nation ever has: the unprecedented economic advances and democratization with full protection of human rights.
Indeed it is encouraging and heart-stirring that the United Nations, which extended us invaluable assistance during the Korean War and for relief and reconstruction of then war-torn country, is now led by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a Korean.
Korea is fully committed to fulfilling the vision of Global Korea, one of its top national agendas, and elevating our global status by building upon the legacy of industrialization and democratization.
Cherishing those priceless assets we have inherited, Korea will become a contributing and responsible member of the international community, dedicating itself to universal values and progress of a world civilization. We will make our best efforts to enhance peace, co-prosperity and harmonious coexistence of people around the globe.
Serving as President of the 56th session of the UN General Assembly during 2001-2002, I myself became keenly aware of the importance of enhancing mutual understanding and international collaboration beyond the border in order to address critical issues upon which the future of humanity so critically depends.
I am convinced that great minds present here today will render unsparing support for Korea’s ceaseless and unswerving efforts to contribute to making our common future a better one.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Once again, I congratulate you on the opening of the 22nd World Congress of Philosophy here in Seoul. I have no doubt that this international event will be a great success, significantly contributing to taking our philosophical efforts to a higher level and boosting further international cooperation among participants.
I wish you all the best and an enjoyable stay in Seoul discovering economic, financial and cultural dynamism of Korea.
Thank you for your attention.
이 누리집은 대한민국 공식 전자정부 누리집입니다.
