President Lee Attends Launch of 'Daeho Kim Jong-seo': "Self-Reliant Defense Is Sovereignty"

President Lee Jae-myung said today (September 30), "Security that relies on the strength of others is bound to waver whenever that country's circumstances or situation change," adding, "This is a reality we are witnessing even at this very moment."

Speaking at the launch ceremony for the next-generation Aegis destroyer "Daeho Kim Jong-seo" held in Ulsan that day, President Lee emphasized, "Only when we can defend ourselves can we decide our own future. Self-reliant defense is sovereignty itself."

President Lee first recalled the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, who delivered a speech at the launch ceremony of the King Sejong the Great, the South Korean Navy's first Aegis destroyer.

Mentioning that former President Roh said at the time, "I prepared a fine speech, but my heart is so overwhelmed that I cannot read it properly," President Lee expressed his empathy, saying, "Standing before this proud warship, I think I understand a little of how he felt."

He continued, "The ship we launch today was designed with our own technology and built directly with our own hands," adding, "South Korea has now become a nation that designs, constructs, and operates world-class warships on its own."

He also said, "With the resolve embodied in the Daeho Kim Jong-seo, we will move forward to the very end toward realizing self-reliant defense."

To achieve this, he promised, "We will actively support our shipbuilding industry so that it can maintain its super-gap lead and leap to the next level," adding, "We will turn it into a new growth engine that also revitalizes the regional economy."

He further noted, "The defense industry is a core national industry," stressing, "While strengthening research and development capabilities, we must swiftly transfer cutting-edge civilian technologies to the defense sector."

In this regard, President Lee said, "We will widen pathways for academia and businesses to research and invest together with the military," adding, "We will streamline complicated procedures and expand support so that new technologies can be immediately deployed into operational service."

(Photo: Cheong Wa Dae Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.