Address by President Yoon Suk Yeol at Harvard University

April 28, 2023

“Pioneering a New Freedom Trail”

Dean Douglas Elmendorf of Harvard Kennedy School,

Director Setti Warren of Institute of Politics,

Future leaders of the world,

I am deeply honored to deliver a speech today as the 20th President of the Republic of Korea at Harvard University where Korea’s inaugural President Syngman Rhee studied 110 years ago, dreaming of our nation’s independence and a bright future.

In 2018, I had the opportunity to visit the Harvard University as the Chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

At that time, I was tremendously inspired by the Harvard Law School faculty.

In particular, Professor William Alford, who is joining us today, explained the values of freedom and solidarity and emphasized the importance of solidarity with the socially disadvantaged, citing a Harvard’s program for people with disabilities.

I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the values of freedom and human rights, which have held the most special place in my heart since I was a young legal professional.

Today, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the value of freedom.

The history of humanity has been a history of protecting and expanding freedom.

Turning the world into a place where people can shape their own lives has been a long journey that began with casting off the shackles of the medieval feudal system.

Boston is the home of the Freedom Trail.

It is imbued with the traces of stories and debates held by pioneers who came to the American continent in search of freedom.

They laid the foundation of the United States, a nation of freedom and democracy. Standing at the center of it all was Harvard University founded in the 17th century as an educational institution to train clergymen.

The desire for freedom nurtured by such founding fathers as John Adams and John Hancock here at Harvard permeates the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

In the process of independence and nation-building, the United States has achieved and expanded freedom.

In the late 18th century, during the initial years of the United States, freedom was believed to be laissez-faire – granting each person the liberty to do what they want on their own.

Initially, a free market without government interference was considered ideal, but by the late 19th century, the abuses of monopolistic conglomerates called “trusts” became unbearable. Eventually, Americans were awakened to the fact that monopolies and oligopolies threaten the freedom of the economically vulnerable in an industrialized society. As critical reasoning formed around the concept that one person’s freedom must not infringe upon the freedom of another, demands for a fair system erupted.

In this context, the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 holds a great significance in the history of freedom.

The forceful implementation of the Sherman Act was driven by the determination of President Theodore Roosevelt, another graduate of Harvard.

The prosecution of 40 trusts during his term earned him the title “trust buster.”

The initial sense of laissez-faire that took on the values of “fair competition” and “equal opportunity” has evolved into a freedom that can coexist and stand in solidarity with others.

When we say “With freedom comes responsibility,” that responsibility is derived from fairness, a prerequisite for the coexistence of freedom.

And it is the rule of law that brings about fairness, a prerequisite for the coexistence of freedom.

This value of fairness and the principle of fair competition have underpinned the sustainable growth of the American economy.

The history of that freedom that germinated in the United States has also taken root on the other side of the Pacific Ocean in the Republic of Korea.

When communists invaded Korea in 1950, the United States and others from the bloc of free nations fought together with us. Lieutenant William Hamilton Shaw, an American who was born in Korea, was an East Asian studies doctoral candidate at Harvard University studying under Professor Edwin Reischauer when he volunteered to fight in the Korean War and was killed in action at the age of 28.

On a hill in Seoul’s Nokbeon-dong, where he was lost, the Republic of Korea built a memorial park to remember “the Harvardian who loved Korea more than Koreans.”

Joining us today are Lieutenant Shaw’s grandson William Cameron Shaw and his mother, Carole Cameron Shaw from North Carolina. Where are you?

Thank you. Thank you so much. We remember your family.

I would like to express my deep appreciation on behalf of the people of the Republic of Korea.

A while ago, I paid a visit to the Memorial Church of Harvard University to commemorate its 18 graduates who fell during the Korean War.

Thanks to their noble sacrifices, the Republic of Korea was able to safeguard its freedom. The country was able to withstand and repel the unlawful attempts of communist, totalitarian forces to take our freedom away.

The ROK-U.S. alliance, which marks its 70th anniversary this year, has been a linchpin that has defended freedom and fostered prosperity in the Republic of Korea.

Moreover, it has been a symbol of security that protects the freedom of global citizens.

Earlier this week, President Biden and I adopted a joint statement on the vision of an “Alliance in Action Toward the Future.”

The ROK-U.S. alliance is not merely a contract of convenience that comes and goes based on the interests but a “values alliance” based on the universal value of freedom and democracy.

It is a sustainable and resilient alliance, a just alliance that contributes to world peace and prosperity.

Distinguished students and faculty of Harvard,

If we look around the world now, the freedom and democracy are at risk. The values that we have defended with sweat and sacrifices are facing grave challenges.

Democracy is a community’s decision-making system to guarantee freedom. It is based on truth and the free formation of public opinions.

However, false propaganda and fake news combined with digital and mobile technology are frequently distorting truth and public opinions.

As a consequence, they are shaking democracy and threatening freedom.

Recent technological progress in artificial intelligence is making the situation even worse.

Democracy is a system based on common sense, truth and intelligence embodied by a conscience.

Disintellectualism represented by false propaganda and fake news poses a threat to freedom and democracy and endangers them.

There are forces that continuously and systematically undermine and threaten freedom and democracy: dictatorship and totalitarianism.

And, there are also forces that seek to make gains by siding with them.

It takes courage and solidarity – the strong solidarity of those who aspire for freedom – to safeguard freedom and democracy against these forces. International solidarity is also required.

Freedom guarantees peace. People and countries that value freedom respect the freedom of other individuals and countries.

In the international community, lack of respect the freedom of other individuals and countries often translate into attempts to change the status quo by force.

The international community defines this as a violation of international law.

Over a year has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. The invasion – a violation of international law – has brutally trampled on the freedom and human rights of the Ukrainian people.

The Republic of Korea is continuing to expand our humanitarian and financial support to protect the freedom of the Ukrainian people this year as we did last year.

The international community must respond with courageous and resolute solidarity to these “attempts to change the status quo by force” that disregard the freedom of other countries.

We must prove that such an attempt cannot succeed and thus make it impossible to even imagine such attempts.

The epitome of this dictatorial and totalitarian attitude that disregards the freedom of others is North Korea.

North Korea’s illegal development of nuclear weapons and nuclear threats seriously threaten peace and freedom not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in neighboring countries and the world.

This totalitarian attitude has inevitably caused horrific, collective human rights violations in North Korea.

Last month, the Korean government published North Korean Human Rights Report and released it to the public for the first time.

Based on testimonies from around 500 North Korean defectors, the report contains cases of horrendous public executions by firing squad for such reasons as watching Korean TV dramas or possessing a Bible.

Improving human rights begins with shedding light on what’s really happening on the ground. Broad awareness and awakening within the international community will lead to an improved situation.

Dictatorships and totalitarianism pose the most serious challenges to freedom and democracy everywhere in the world.

Nevertheless, those who threaten freedom and democracy disguise themselves as democratic forces and human rights activists.

We must always keep our guard up against them and not be deceived.

To do so, we must all have strong belief in freedom.

Students and faculty of Harvard, the hall of freedom,

We cannot defend our freedom on our own. We must unite and work in solidarity to confront the forces threatening freedom.

Here at Harvard, I would be remiss not to mention the 1963 West Berlin speech by President John F. Kennedy, one of America’s most loved Harvard-educated politicians.

He said in his speech: “Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free.”

The forces that threaten freedom are both within and outside of our communities.

If the freedom of any single individual is overlooked, the community is not a free society. A free society necessitates that all members of the community be free and enjoy freedom.

Certain economic and cultural conditions are needed for people to be able to enjoy freedom.

Free citizens must stand in solidarity to create the conditions necessary to enjoy freedom for those who need it.

Freedom and solidarity, therefore, are mutually inclusive concepts.

The concept of solidarity cannot exist among people who are ruled by someone else and live without freedom.

Even if solidarity appears to exist in such societies, it is simply the result of following commands.

Fellow Students and faculty of Harvard,

We are now living in the era of digital technology. We must now contemplate what freedom means in the digital age as well.

In the Age of Discovery in the 16th century, humanity embarked on a transformative journey. We transitioned from the shackles of feudalism and established the modern concept of occupation, and an order based on proprietorial right and free contract.

In the early 20th century, the United States fought against monopolies and oligopolies to prevent the injustices that laissez-faire could produce, thereby establishing a fair market order.

Now, we must create new norms and order that correspond to the ever-deepening era of digital technology.

Digital technology allows a huge amount of information to be constantly produced and shared.

Human life has become more convenient and enriched as a result, but it has also caused negative consequences that suppress our freedom.

Imagine a state power that does not respect the value of freedom and abuses digital technology.

Individual freedom and human rights will be seriously violated; the harmful consequences of digital totalitarianism will be beyond description.

The free citizens of the world must work in solidarity to stave off the abuses of digital technology that undermine freedom.

Last September at New York University, I announced the New York Initiative, calling for solidarity among free digital citizens.

The centerpiece of the initiative stipulates that the freedom to use digital technology and services is a universal right of humanity and presents a vision of the digital age that is worthy of pursuit.

For the digital order created in the new so-called “digital space” to have legitimacy, compatibility and sustainability, the order and norms must maximize the freedom and welfare of global citizens, guarantee fair opportunities and be considerate of the less privileged in particular.

To this end, the international community must also work together in solidarity.

Those countries at the forefront of digital technology should use education and systematic support to aid those whose digital infrastructure is lacking.

The Republic of Korea will do everything it can to establish a fair digital order that is grounded in the universal justice within the international community.

Moreover, Korea will strive to enable global citizens to share the benefits of digital technology and culture by expanding digital-related official development assistance.

I would like to ask the students and faculty of Harvard present today to join us on this journey toward solidarity and cooperation.

Today, as President of the Republic of Korea, and above all, as a free person, it is a great pleasure to speak with you about freedom at Harvard, the hall of freedom.

Personally, it is an honor that I will cherish in my heart for years to come.

Thank you all.