Before becoming the 17th president of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-Bak was a prominent Hyundai businessman, imaginative politician in the National Assembly and successful mayor of Seoul. His illustrious career, along with the story of his rise from his humble beginnings, has been a source of inspiration for many young Koreans.

Born on December 19, 1941 to a poor family from Pohang, a port city in southeastern Korea, President Lee paid his way through high school and college by rising early every morning, collecting trash and sweeping the streets. He has maintained the habit of waking up early ever since, rising before 5 AM every day.

After joining Hyundai Construction in 1965, his achievements included the construction of the Pattani-Narathiwat Highway in Thailand and the Seoul-Busan (Gyeongbu) Highway in Korea, both of which later became the backbone of economic development in the respective countries. President Lee also led the construction of Iraq's Arabian Repair Shipyard and Jubail Industrial Port as well as Malaysia's Penang Bridge, the second longest in the world at the time. He also spearheaded Hyundai's drive to modernize Korea's residential housing stock by planning and building modern apartment complexes. On the strength of these accomplishments, President Lee rose to become CEO of Hyundai Construction in just 12 years.

As CEO of Hyundai Construction, President Lee oversaw Hyundai's automobile, heavy industry and shipbuilding units, which eventually became Hyundai Motors, Hyundai Heavy Industry and Hyundai Shipbuilding, respectively. He held CEO positions at ten different Hyundai affiliates, including Hyundai Engineering and Incheon Steel, before leaving the company in 1992.

After leaving Hyundai, President Lee served two terms in the National Assembly before being elected mayor of Seoul in 2002. The most notable achievement of his service as mayor was the restoration of Cheonggyecheon, a 6.5 kilometer stream that had been buried by concrete for 40 years. The project was an audacious one. To uncover the stream, he had to remove an eight-lane highway and 5.8 kilometer overpass that carried 270,000 vehicles daily. Moreover, the restoration faced harsh opposition from many local interest groups. President Lee set out to forge a consensus among the 220,000 business owners, residents and street vendors of the area by conducting more than 4,000 dialog sessions. Eventually, the project succeeded, reviving Seoul's ecosystem and enlivening the city center. Now, more than 30 million people visit Cheonggyecheon annually. The project earned the Best Public Administration award at the Venice Biennale's 9th International Architecture Exhibition in 2005. For his support of the project, President Lee was named one of the "Heroes of the Environment" by TIME magazine in 2007.

Under President Lee's watch, the city of Seoul excelled in e-government practices and was ranked first in the world in 2003 and 2005 in the biennial global e-government report. He also helped to transfer Seoul's e-government innovations to Moscow, Hanoi and Ulaanbaatar.

In 2007, President Lee won the Grand National Party's nomination for president. He promised to usher in a new era of pragmatism during his campaign for the presidency. As outlined in his inaugural speech, President Lee's vision for Korea is "a nation where the government serves its people with devotion, a nation where the economy is robust and the weak and the marginalized are taken care of...a nation where the best and the brightest are fostered, and welcomed by the rest of the world, and which attracts the world's best and brightest to come and work." He also promised that Korea would pursue global diplomacy in a manner commensurate with its stature so as to contribute to peace and stability around the world. The Korean people have responded positively to this vision.

President Lee was elected president on December 19, 2007 and sworn in on February 25, 2008. He won the election by a wide margin in all categories-region, age group and income level-and placed ahead of the nearest runner-up by 5.28 million votes, representing 22.5 percent of the total ballots cast. Coincidentally, December 19 happens to be his birthday as well as his wedding anniversary.

This is President Lee's first trip to the United States as president of the Republic of Korea.

(Unofficial translation)
Address by
H.E. Lee Myung-Bak
17th President of the Republic of Korea
The Korea Society
2008 Annual Dinner
April 15, 2008
New York City
Chairman Donald Gregg and President Evans Revere of The Korea Society, H.E.
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, ladies and gentlemen,
Whether in the East or the West, there are two rules to define the “best friend.”
First, “old friends” are the best friends because with time, people develop common
values, interests and visions. Second, the friend that stands by in time of challenge
is the true friend.
Over the past half century since its founding in 1957, The Korea Society has been
the best friend of Korea, serving as a solid bridge between Korea and the United
States, promoting mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, social,
and cultural exchange programs.
Tonight, the Korea Society will award the Van Fleet Award to the Peace Corps
Korea and Mr. Don Oberdorfer, two of our best friends. They are living examples
of those who have done their share in writing a long, rich history of friendship and
cooperation between Korea and the United States.
Over nearly two decades, Peace Corps volunteers provided dedicated, selfless
service to the development of democratic Korea. Their work has left in the minds
of the Korean people deep, heartfelt trust of the United States and gratitude toward
its high-spirited people.
I invite the Peace Corps volunteers to return to Korea to see the transformation of
their ally and to hear its people’s appreciation of the 2000 plus Peace Corp
volunteers who played a critical role in that national transformation.
I am particularly happy to hear that the Honorable Kathleen Stephens, a former
Peace Corp volunteer in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, will return to Korea
as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. She attests to the former
Peace Corps volunteers’ continued and enduring support for robust Korea–U.S.
relations.
As an old Korea hand, Mr. Oberdorfer is one of the best friends of the Korean
people too, with a long list of distinguished research and publication on Korea and
inter-Korean issues throughout his professional life. His seminal book, The Two
Koreas, is a must-read among students of the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean
relations.
All of you gathered here tonight are the likes of the Peace Corps volunteers and Mr.
Oberdorfer in that you have participated in and provided ardent support for the
development of Korea–U.S. relations. You are old friends, true friends, and the best
friends of the Korean people, standing by us in times of challenge with the common
vision of democracy, development, and peace.
Distinguished guests,
Over the past 60 years since the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, we
witnessed together several changes of the international order. Together we have
overcome international challenges and seized opportunities. Through those joint efforts,
our bilateral relations have deepened, widened, and matured into a norm-centric, trustbased,
and peace-building strategic alliance.
We remember the U.S soldiers who fought side-by-side with us during the Korean War.
Were it not for their sacrifice and dedication, the Republic of Korea now would not exist
as a sovereign nation of democratic ideals and market principles.
To be sure, there have been some concerns about a possible weakening of the Korea–U.S.
alliance in recent years. I assure you that we should and we will move forward. The days
of ideology are over. The politicization of alliance relations shall be behind us. We shall
not let ideology and politics blind us from common interests, values and norms.
In the new global environment of the 21st century, Korea and the United States should
work out a common strategy for peace and prosperity not only for the Korean Peninsula,
but also for Asia and the rest of the world.
That strategic vision should be called the “Korea–U.S. Strategic Alliance.” As its three
core principles, I put forward common values, trust, and peace. The strategic alliance is a
value-centric, trust-based, and peace-building partnership.
Our two great countries share the values of liberal democracy and market economy. The
alliance will continue to grow stronger because the two countries share common values
and visions for their future. With Korea’s political democratization, economic growth and
liberalization, the two countries are ready to forge a strategic alliance.
On the basis of shared values and common interests, Korea and the United States will
seek ways to deepen and widen cooperation in a wide range of issues, from military and
politics to economy and society, to culture, thus forging a thick reservoir of good will and
mutual trust upon which to make the alliance self-sustainable.
Under the military alliance built on mutual trust, the two countries will join forces to
alleviate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and to promote peace in Northeast Asia. At
the same time, the allies shall take the initiative in confidence-building in regional
security and enhancing military transparency among East Asian countries. In doing so,
the Korea–U.S. alliance will serve as a facilitator not only in bringing regional
reconciliation but also in laying the ground for East Asia spearheading the development
of multilateral security cooperation networks.
The two great countries face a historic moment in economic realms, too. We need to
ratify the Korea–U.S. FTA in order to create an engine for prosperity. For Korea, the
FTA will assure the expansion of exports markets and the strengthening of its economic
fundamentals through deregulation and competition. The KORUS FTA will serve
United States’ interests as well, enabling the U.S. service sector to make inroads into
the expanding Korean market. Moreover, with the ratification of the KORUS FTA,
Korea has the potential to become a strategic bridgehead for the United States to the
newly emerging markets of East Asia, one of the most dynamic regions of economic
growth.
I believe in liberal values. With the rising exchange of people, the two countries will
become more cooperative and trusting toward each other. With this belief in people-topeople
exchange, the two countries are working towards Korea’s entry into the U.S.
Visa Waiver Program which will make transnational networks thicker and wider.
The Korea–U.S. alliance should also contribute to the promotion of international peace
on the basis of common strategic interests at both regional and global levels. The two
countries should proactively engage countries plagued by terrorism, environmental
degradation, diseases, and poverty with the goal of improving human security on the
basis of humanitarian ideals.
Distinguished members and guests of the Korea Society,
The most critical challenge facing our two nations is North Korea issues. Only when
the North Korea nuclear issue is peacefully resolved and only when we succeed in
persuading North Korea of the necessity for change, will it be possible for us to
advance the ideals of peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula.
The North also needs to realize that its economic difficulties do not stem from external
threats. The international community endeavors to dissuade the North from acquiring
nuclear capabilities. The North should not take these efforts of persuasion as an act of
hostility.
At the same time, inter-Korean relations are unique, different from the relationship
between two sovereign states. The peoples of the two Koreas constitute one people, and
should become unified into one nation-state in the future. It is my hope that the
international community understands Seoul’s special ties with Pyongyang and supports
our search for the ways to initiate sincere, substantive dialogue with the North.
We have deep affection for our compatriots in the North, and have no intention of
threatening its political system. Our goal is to help the North Korean economy stand on
its own feet and assure its people a respectable life. Despite challenges and difficulties,
we will persevere in the effort to persuade the North of our sincerity and good will.
The Republic of Korea is committed to working with the international community in
peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issues and sharing prosperity with the
North within the framework of universal values.
Distinguished members and guests of The Korea Society,
You are the agent of robust Korea–U.S. friendship and cooperation. There were
moments of challenges and difficulties in the bilateral relations, but you have always
striven to strengthen Korea–U.S. cooperation and maintain the healthy balance in
alliance relations. Now, thanks to your dedication and commitment to bridging the two
countries, the Korea–U.S. alliance is poised to leap forward to become a strategic
alliance of the new kind. I earnestly hope that you will take an even greater role in
lifting our bilateral ties to the level of strategic alliance.
Over the past 51 years, The Korea Society has demonstrated its commitment to the
advancement of Korea–U.S. relations. I deeply appreciate your hard work and wish you
even greater success and progress in the coming years.
We are old friends, true friends, and best friends. I ask you to join Korea and its people
in our laudable effort to overcome the history of national division in the Korean
Peninsula and to forge a new brave chapter of reconciliation and cooperation in the
history of East Asia.
God bless you, and thank you.