Choo Mi-ae: "Tightening Our Belts to Prepare Children's Future...Will Achieve Inclusive Gyeonggi Province"

Governor Choo Mi-ae of Gyeonggi Province delivered a commemorative address on the 81st anniversary of Liberation Day on the 15th, stating, "Today we mark the eighty-first Liberation Day, a light reclaimed through the aspirations and struggles of our entire people," and "Eighty-one years ago today, the light of liberation that brightly illuminated every corner of this land of three thousand ri did not come of its own accord."

Governor Choo further stated, "It is the fruit achieved through the blood and sweat of patriots and independence activists who dedicated their lives, property, and everything to fighting against Japanese imperial cruelty and oppression, solely for the recovery of national sovereignty and independence."

Governor Choo said, "By protecting the nation and restoring our freedom and rights to choose our own future, the Republic of Korea was able to grow from ruins into an economic powerhouse. Beyond steel, shipbuilding, and automobiles, the Republic of Korea has now become a nation leading global change through semiconductors, secondary batteries, AI, and K-content."

Governor Choo continued, "Gyeonggi Province has likewise grown to become the economic heart of the Republic of Korea, responsible for approximately one-quarter of the nation's regional gross domestic product and exports, and business establishments," adding, "The freedom and peace we enjoy today and the ability to dream of a better future are all possible because of the Republic of Korea that they protected."

In the commemorative address, Governor Choo stated, "Gyeonggi Province was the center of the independence movement. Countless patriots of Gyeonggi Province led the way toward Korean independence through armed struggle, righteous army movements, ethnic education, and the establishment of the Provisional Government," and noted, "Haekong Shin Ik-hee of Gwangju led the establishment of the Korean Provisional Government and the Provisional Legislative Assembly; Lee Seok-yeong of Namyangju raised funds for independence activities by sacrificing his entire fortune; Noeun Kim Kyou-sik of Yangju devoted himself to the vanguard of armed independence struggles; and Yun Ki-seop of Paju dedicated his life to training independence fighters at the Shinheung Military Academy."

Governor Choo continued, "We deeply inscribe in our hearts the noble life and resolute will of patriot Oh Sung-gyu, Gyeonggi Province's only surviving patriot and the Republic of Korea's oldest living independence activist, together with our residents," and declared, "Inheriting the indomitable spirit with which he pressed forward toward the Korean Liberation Army through bloodshed and hardship, Gyeonggi Province will not leave a single independence activist behind in the shadowy pages of history."

Governor Choo emphasized in the address, "The nation that the patriots dreamed of was not merely one that reclaimed stolen sovereignty," noting that "it was a nation where citizens were the masters, everyone received fair treatment, people could build a better future themselves, and people lived together transcending their differences. I believe that spirit represents the values of fairness, innovation, and inclusion that we must preserve today."

Governor Choo stated, "Our people rose up through the March First Movement to reclaim the nation's sovereignty; we preserved that citizens are the masters of the nation through the April Revolution, the May 18 Democratic Uprising, and the June Democratic Struggle against dictatorship and injustice," and noted, "The strength to protect democracy against illegal martial law and rebellion that threatened constitutional order also came from the people."

Governor Choo committed, "Placing sovereignty in the hands of the people, offering appropriate respect for dedication, and providing special compensation for special sacrifice—that is the fairness we must preserve. I will create a fair Gyeonggi Province where privilege and illegality have no place, and where those living honestly are not disadvantaged."

Particularly, Governor Choo stated, "Gyeonggi Province faces challenging fiscal conditions as well. However, we cannot stop because of difficulties. We must protect our residents' livelihoods and prepare for our children's future. We will spare what can be spared, reduce what can be reduced, and steadfastly maintain what must be done. We will tighten our belts with a bone-scraping resolve, but we will not cease preparing for the future," clearly demonstrating her will to overcome the fiscal crisis.

Governor Choo continued, "Gyeonggi Province must become a community where no one despairs because of their starting point, is pushed out of the community due to hardship, and where the south and north, cities and rural areas, and different generations and classes share opportunities together," emphasizing, "Not taking lightly a single person's life, embracing the lives of 14.2 million residents with different backgrounds within one Gyeonggi Province—that is the true inclusion of Gyeonggi Province."