The 1981 Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding

Maraming salamat po! Ikinagagalak ko pong makilala kayo! (Thank you very much! I am so glad to be here with you!)

I feel that the languages are not at all sufficient to express my sincere gratitude to the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation for this award. Yet, I must be frank. You puzzled me when you chose me for this honor.

As soon as I was notified of the good news by the news agency, I was surrounded by mass media people. Among the questions they asked me was, "What was the reason, do you think, that you were given the award?" The question frightened me. I honestly answered them, "I do not know." Some of their facial reactions embarrassed me, and I even felt sorry for the Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation for electing me.

While I was interviewed, and in the several articles that appeared m our Korean papers, the credit union movement was mentioned very frequently. Gradually I got used to the fact that this award was given because of my contribution to the credit union movement in Asia. This comforted me a lot.

In my work for the credit union movement I always remind myself of the following points: we must cooperate with each other, we must work together in peace. Governmental and nongovernmental

organizations, religious and nonreligious, clergy and laymen, old and young, yellow, black, brown and white, men and women, developed nation and developing nation—we are all born for this—we are destined to spend our lives together, in peace.

When there are two or more people working together, we can accomplish something only if we work together cooperatively, peacefully. The more people there are, the more we need to act in an orderly manner, in justice, in love. These attitudes are evoked naturally when people belong to and work together for the credit unions.

I received hundreds of congratulatory messages from my fellow Koreans as soon as the award was announced. And what made me most happy was that this event was truly promoting the credit union movement in so many ways.

Now I accept this award as a warning as well as an encouragement to continue to do my work better and better each day. Yes, I will do my best to make this meaningful award truly meaningful.

Once again, maraming salamat po. Mabuhay ang Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation! Paalam na po. (Thank you very much. Long live the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation! Goodbye.)