I know that throughout their history, the people of the United

“I know that throughout their history, the people of the United States defended their freedom, their liberty, their justice, and their rights — if need be — with their lives. I think their courage is so admirable.” So spoke Lee Myung-bak, former President of South Korea, in reverence and truth. His words are not mere praise, but a testament to the enduring spirit of a people who, through trial and fire, chose valor over submission and sacrifice over silence. In these words lies a mirror to the heart of a nation that has long carried the torch of liberty, lighting paths not only for itself, but for others who wander in the darkness of oppression.

To speak of freedom is to speak of the breath of the soul — that divine gift without which humanity withers. From the founding days of the Republic, the people of the United States have guarded this sacred flame. They have known that liberty is not granted by kings, nor bestowed by fortune, but forged by those willing to stand and defend it. In Lee’s reflection, there is recognition that this defense was not born of arrogance, but of deep conviction — a belief that life itself finds meaning only when lived in justice and dignity.

Consider the story of the American Revolution, when ordinary farmers and tradesmen rose against the mightiest empire of their age. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and often barefoot in the snow — yet they fought, for they carried within their hearts a vision of freedom greater than fear. Their courage became the seed of a new nation. And when years passed, and that freedom was threatened again — at Gettysburg, at Normandy, at Inchon — men and women answered the call anew. Their stories are not only America’s, but humanity’s: proof that courage is the price of liberty.

Lee Myung-bak, himself a son of Korea — a land once ravaged by war and reborn through resilience — spoke with the understanding of one who has known the cost of peace. For it was the courage of the United States and its allies that helped defend Korea’s freedom in her darkest hour. The bond between nations was not written merely in treaties, but in blood, in sacrifice, and in the shared belief that justice and human dignity must not perish from the earth. Thus, his words are not flattery, but gratitude — a salute from one nation that was once defended, to another that stood unshaken in its moral duty.

Yet let no one think that such courage is bound to a single flag or century. It is the birthright of every free soul, in every land and time. When people rise against tyranny — be it of the sword, of the system, or of the spirit — they echo the same cry: “I will defend what is right, even if it costs me all.” The ancient warriors of Greece, the resistance fighters of France, the students who stood in Seoul’s streets for democracy — all walked the same road as those who fought at Lexington and Concord. For courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

The lesson here, children of the future, is not only to admire the courage of others, but to awaken your own. Freedom is a garden that withers if untended. Justice must be renewed in each generation, through word and deed. To live in liberty is not to live in ease, but to live with responsibility — to speak when silence is easier, to act when apathy is tempting, to protect the weak when power threatens to consume them. True courage is not only found on the battlefield, but in the daily defense of truth.

So stand firm in your convictions. Let the example of those who came before — those who gave their lives for liberty — remind you that courage is the lifeblood of progress. Defend the rights of others as fiercely as your own. Be the guardians of justice in your time, as they were in theirs. And when history looks back upon you, may it say: “They too had the courage to defend what was right, and their spirit was admirable.”

For in the end, freedom, liberty, justice, and courage are not relics of the past — they are living fires that each generation must keep burning. And when we do, we honor not only the words of Lee Myung-bak, but the timeless truth they reveal: that the soul of a people is measured not by their comfort, but by their willingness to sacrifice for what is good, and just, and free.