Dear President Huang and members of the Legislative Yuan:
I am truly honored to have received an invitation by President Guo-shu Huang to visit this great country and to be able to say a few words here today.
Our countries share an unbreakable bond in multiple aspects, such as geography, history, culture, philosophy, and ethnicity. Even nowadays, from what we experienced in the past few days, we are both persevering in our efforts to accomplish the greatest goals of our countries—the reunification of our respective nations. Both the Republic of China and the Republic of Korea can agree on this one point. In other words, our nations share the same hopes and aspirations. There are no other two countries in the world that can understand each other on the same level as we do.
We have sent a large number of troops to Vietnam, not because we have troops to spare, but because we cannot sit idly against global communist aggression. “It is better to save one righteous citizen, than to kill one hundred enemy soldiers.” This is the ethos of the Army Commander of the Republic of Korea in Vietnam. We fight to preserve truth, justice, freedom, and peace. In the Korean War, we witnessed the horrors of a communist invasion. From my experience, the countries who have not witnessed first-hand the terror of communist aggression can only have a vague understanding of it or cannot empathize with us who have been subject of communist tyranny. Therefore, although these countries may know how deep our aspirations for peace are, they cannot seem to commune with our national interests. Our two nations, on the other hand, can come to a deep understanding without speaking a single word.
I remember the idiom “Things eventually find their rightful course”—Justice shall prevail. I believe that when your great nation restores the mainland, our country will also be able to recover North Korea and complete our reunification, and vice versa.
When will that day come? That day is slowly getting closer. Although we cannot be certain of the exact date, we cannot deny that we are approaching it day by day. This day will come in the near future. Therefore, on the eve of such an important event, our two countries must stand more united than ever. I believe this is the clearest path to success.
I would like to mention how Confucianism still guides our people and our philosophy. I am very happy to say that this is something that fills us with pride. The teachings of Confucius and Mencius are deeply and purely integrated in our people’s ideologies. As you all know, Confucianism teaches ethics and morality, and it further serves as a social compass to guide people’s lives; it is a humanitarian system that does not exclude other religions or cultures. We naturally accept our filial duty to our parents and devote ourselves to our nation. We can also easily combine the classical Confucian concepts of “nobility” and “benevolence” with the modern concepts of “gentlemanhood”, “love”, and “compassion.” Therefore, I believe that both our peoples share a deep understanding of human life and dignity, allowing us to stand together against communism in all its forms. This is only natural.
With that being said, it is clear that the bond that unites our two countries has been deeply rooted in our peoples’ hearts since ancient times. Consequently, at present there is only the question of what road should we take in order to reunify and develop each of our countries for the future prosperity and peace of the world. In fact, this problem no longer looms so large. Our two countries are already on the right path. The only remaining questions are how can we move faster, how can we advance more vigorously, and how can we use new methods to help us reach our goal. People from our two nations can benefit greatly from discussing these questions with each other. So, I am sincerely happy to be able to visit the Republic of China on this occasion, and would like to thank you all.
I have learned many commendable things while visiting your great nation. I cannot help but express my amazement and admiration at the progress in your development that is reflected in the increase of your people’s average income and the nation’s social stability, among many other successes. The Republic of Korea is also trying to build infrastructure, increase production and stabilize society—although there is nothing to praise yet—and we fully realize that such an endeavor cannot, in fact, be achieved easily. I also know that we must try hard to realize our people’s long-cherished wishes, and on the other hand, we must diligently accomplish greater achievements. Such a two-pronged effort requires critical decisiveness and endless perseverance.
To all the kind people of this great nation that have welcomed me and my colleagues on this visit, please allow me to express my utmost gratitude.
Finally, on behalf of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, I sincerely pray for the health and longevity of President Chiang and the prosperity of the people of your country.
Thank you all.
