Dr. Lee Tae-seok Foundation UN Special Consultative Status NGO Launch Commemorative Concert: A Path Built with Love, Moving Toward World Peace

[PERFORMANCE INTRODUCTION] Thank you. We are grateful. South Sudan, a land of civil war. There was a priest who served the poor and suffering there with sincere devotion. Father Lee Tae-seok. He was a doctor and educator, a musician, and a father to leprosy patients. His dedicated life became known to the world through the documentaries "Don't Cry, Tonj" and "Resurrection," touching countless people across borders and religions. And that resonance finally reached the heart of Catholicism, the Vatican. Pope Francis said: "Let all clergy walk the path of Father Lee Tae-seok." The Lee Tae-seok Foundation, established as a non-profit organization, continues his unrealized dreams by seeking out the poorest places in the world and those who suffer, sharing love and spreading hope over the past 15 years. Sincerity has prevailed. Last year, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) recognized the foundation's contributions in spreading hope to South Sudan and Ukraine in Africa and in expanding positive influence, granting the Lee Tae-seok Foundation Special Consultative Status as a UN NGO. The beginning as a UN NGO has brought the foundation a great gift. That gift is "trust." For NGOs, trust is life itself. That is why we are all the more joyful and proud. This concert is a meaningful occasion to commemorate the 16th anniversary of Father Lee Tae-seok's passing, while simultaneously celebrating the Lee Tae-seok Foundation's launch as a UN NGO. We hope this will be a time to create another miracle of love on the path built by his love. With warmest regards, Koo Soo-hwan Chairman of the Lee Tae-seok Foundation