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Selected Speeches

President's Office /

Selected Speeches

Congratulatory Speech at the 74th Summer Graduation Ceremony

Dear graduates of the Class of 2020, parents, and guests. Welcome to the Seoul National University graduation ceremony.

When we had to cancel the winter graduation ceremony in February due to COVID-19, we were hoping to hold the summer graduation ceremony in August. However, as COVID-19 has developed into a global pandemic, the decision was made to hold this graduation ceremony online. It must be disappointing that one of your life’s happiest and most fulfilling ceremonies has been replaced with a video. I am deeply sorry and regretful for not being able to congratulate you in person.

Nevertheless, this graduation ceremony marks one of the most joyous occasions this year. First, I offer my most heartfelt congratulations to the class of 2020 graduates who have completed their undergraduate, masters, doctoral programs. In particular, I would like to recognize the efforts of our international students who have overcome the difficulties of studying abroad. I also want to congratulate and thank family members and friends who have supported our students. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the faculty, staff, and alumni for helping our graduates to complete their studies.

We are in the midst of a crisis. Experts predict that the world will be fundamentally different after COVID-19. In fact, our way of life has already begun to change rapidly. At this moment of uncertainties, you may feel anxiety as much as you feel joy and pride, as you are about to graduate. So far, you have been preparing for the world in the lecture hall, in the library, in the lab, and in the practice room. However, facing a world changing rapidly, you may be afraid or uncertain of what to do. Unlike your seniors, you are facing a world that no one has experienced or foreseen.

However, there is no need to be anxious. You are more than qualified to be present here at this moment, because you have overcome all your prior difficulties, including the pandemic that occurred while you were finishing your last semester at the University. You may not have all the necessary knowledge to deal with the world right now, but at Seoul National University you have already honed: the guts to succeed without giving up on difficult tasks; the intelligence to never stop questioning in your search for truth; the sense of community with which you dream of making a better world with people from various backgrounds. Some students may have seemed to make it through the program easily; some may have apparently needed to put in more effort to finish. Whatever the case may be, all of you stand proudly as Seoul National University students who have completed your degree programs at SNU. Considering that you have successfully wrestled with internal conflict—a process often deemed harder than competing against others—I would like to assure you that you already have the ability to solve and respond to whatever challenges you face in the outside world. This graduation ceremony certifies that you deserve to trust yourself and that you can boldly take on the world.

Nowadays, long-neglected problems are bursting out everywhere in our society, and the failure to resolve them is leading to endless strife. Amidst black-and-white logic and disputes, it may not be easy to determine the right way to uphold justice and excellence. I would like to ask you that, at each moment of difficulty, you recall our school’s motto, Veritas Lux Mea. Even in confusion and uncertainty, critical analysis and reasoning will lead you to the right path. Do not cease to question and reflect; you will earn a more robust view, a more valid explanation, and a more persuasive interpretation, and these will guide you through the current era of confusion.

In this critical time, when conflicts and antagonism are worsening, our society needs talented individuals capable of cooperating and harmonizing. It is my sincere wish that you will be a prudent person who can resolve conflicts at a higher level by cooperating and harmonizing with people with different opinions, rather than engaging in further polarizing our society and amplifying the existing conflicts. I believe that the knowledge and attitude you have acquired at SNU will serve as valuable assets to your growth.

Dear graduates, with your warm hearts embracing the world, a thirst for truth, the spirit of innovation and creativity, and leadership through and for harmony, please forge ahead to pioneer the future and brighten the world. Please do not stop pursuing the universal values of liberty, peace, and justice in the larger world beyond our university campus; constantly develop yourselves as intellectuals and global citizens with sensitivity for human rights. I hope that one day the fact that you attended SNU would verify our university as one of the most prestigious schools in the world.

Dear graduates, you have worked hard and you have done very well. Our faculty and staff members and I wish you the best with all our hearts, and we hope that you will be at the forefront of building a better world. If you continue to strive as you have done so far, you will surely be able to achieve your aims.

And once more, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you all on your graduation.