The 1969 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service

RESPONSE of Kim Hyung-Seo
Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies
31 August 1969 Manila, Philippines

In this renowned capital of the Republic of the Philippines, one of our allied nations in the common cause of defending freedom against communist aggression, it is only proper that a humble unknown Korean farmer should take the opportunity of this honor to express his heartfelt thanks to all the people of the Republic of the Philippines for sending their beloved husbands and sons to the battlefields of Korea.

This Award for Public Service is, as you all know, associated with the highest spirit of sacrifice and service for the public good, illustrated by the life and work of one of the world's greatest leaders, the late President Ramon Magsaysay, in whom your country takes great pride and whom we of Korea, Asia and the whole world admire. You can never imagine how much privilege and honor I feel upon receiving the Award on this inspirational occasion marking the 62nd birth anniversary of that great man of service. This is the most glorious moment that I have had in my life.

I have only done what I considered to be my duty, and will continue to do so. I sincerely believe this Award is far above what I deserve and that it may well be a meaningful impetus for my future endeavor in the service of the public good. More importantly I would rather assume that this Award is not meant for a single person but for all my fellow refugees and all displaced people who have tried hard to stand on their own feet and have combined their efforts to develop their newly settled communities in the spirit of self-help.

At the time I moved to the south with other refugees and found freedom we were confronted with the imminent need for subsistence. We turned our back on the communist tyranny only to find ourselves in the midst of a new enemy that was poverty.

We came to realize that communist aggression is not the only threat to our lives, peace and security. An even greater threat comes from ignorance, poverty and disease. We have fully realized that where these major social evils exist communism can prevail and we can enjoy neither genuine freedom nor peace and prosperity. All through the dark days in a warstricken land we never gave up hope but struggled against every obstacle and hardship. We all pooled our utmost energies to become self-reliant so that we might regain our God-given right to lead a decent human life.

At this moment I recall to my mind the great spirit of dedicated service of the late President Ramon Magsaysay who devoted his life to the security and welfare of his people. He inspired all freedom-loving people with his revered personality and through his admirable performance as a model of a democratic citizen. He was a cogent symbol of the fact of life that nothing is impossible where there is a will.

My heart is overwhelmed by a strong feeling that this Award for Public Service is an indelible mark of the truth that perseverance and cooperation for the good of society and the country can bring about a miracle in human life. This truth was also realized by the late President Ramon Magsaysay. I deeply appreciate the decision of the Trustees of the Foundation to confer the Award for Public Service on me.

I also wish to express my appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Korea, international organizations and foreign voluntary agencies without whose assistance our self-help efforts would not have been successful.

Finally, I pray that God bless the People of the Republic of the Philippines with eternal peace and prosperity.