President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to firmly safeguard South Korea’s freedom and prosperity with strength and not just words. 

Yoon made the pledge in a speech he delivered on Thursday at a ceremony in Incheon marking the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Korea Freedom Federation. 

The president’s remarks came after he cited that North Korea is advancing its nuclear weapons and missiles capacity despite repeated warnings from the international community. He noted that most recently, the North has engaged in odious provocations, including sending trash-carrying balloons over the border.

Yoon said the history of the Korean Peninsula demonstrates how a country's fate can differ depending on the system of government the country adopts. 

He said South Korea, which chose liberal democracy, became an economic and cultural powerhouse while North Korea, having opted communist totalitarianism, remains what he described as "the last frozen territory on the face of the earth, also the most poverty-stricken and dark in the world."

Stressing that freedom exists upon justice and truth instead of upon lies and propaganda, Yoon said that in order to safeguard freedom, justice and truth must be restored while fighting against lies and instigation. 

The president then emphasized that the new future of South Korea must be ushered in based on a firm belief on freedom and the right values about national security.