President Moon Jae-in says the Korean people want a "better democracy."
He was speaking Wednesday at the first national ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Busan-Masan Democratic Protests,... a movement 40 years ago in which Koreans rose up against authoritarianism.
Shin Se-min with the details.
President Moon Jae-in said Koreans want to further advance the nation's democracy,... saying they want a "better democracy."
"Together with the people, we will move forward to create a democracy where people can truly become the owners of the nation, where national achievement translates to better livelihoods for the people."
Attending the first national commemorative event marking the 40th anniversary of the Busan-Masan Democratic Protests one of the key events in the nation's democratic transformation against military rule under Park Chung-hee in 1979,... the president said no state-agency will be able to "reign over" the people.
He added that government institutions "exist for the sake of the people, not for the sake of their organizations."
Such comments are seen as a way of expressing the president's stern resolve in reforming the nation's prosecution, which has long been criticized for abusing its excessive authority again reiterating his promise that such reform will continue despite the resignation of the Justice Minister earlier this week.
The president also pointed to the lack of government-level compensation for those who were victimized during the protests and offered his apology for the human rights violations that occurred.
The Busan-Masan Democratic Protests, which broke out in the nation's southern cities,... were public movements against the dictatorship of the Park Chung-hee regime and they helped the nation eventually transform into a democracy.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
