President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers the 47th Singapore Lecture on "A Vision for Korean Unification Towards a Free, Peaceful and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region" at a hotel in Singapore, Wednesday. Yonhap

SINGAPORE — During a prestigious lecture series in Singapore, President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized that a nuclear-free, unified Korea could contribute to building a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific by strengthening solidarity among ASEAN member countries.

He also pledged that the South Korean government will provide $100 million in funding for development cooperation projects in Indo-Pacific countries over the next three years, aiming to promote the value of free democracy in the region.

Yoon's lecture, "A Vision for Korean Unification Toward a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region," marked the first occasion on which he presented the significance of international solidarity for the Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine — the Yoon adminsitration's unification vision and strategy based on expanding the South's value system of freedom and democracy toward North Korea. The doctrine was announced on Aug. 15 this year.

"This doctrine reflects my commitment to strengthening Korea's value system with freedom at its core, my commitment to broadly communicating a message of hope to North Korea on what unification based on freedom can bring and my commitment to increasing solidarity with the global community in realizing this vision," Yoon said. "A free and unified Korean Peninsula, if realized, would dramatically advance peace not only on the Peninsula but also throughout the Indo-Pacific and beyond."

The Singapore Lecture is a globally famed lecture series organized by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, formerly known as the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), with the support of the Singaporean foreign ministry. The lecture series has invited key global figures over the past four decades, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers the 47th Singapore Lecture on "A Vision for Korean Unification Towards a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region" at a hotel in Singapore, Wednesday. Yonhap

In the hour-long lecture, Yoon reiterated that freedom is the most essential value on which he has firmly based his vision for a unified Korea as well as peace of the Indo-Pacific region.

"The history of humanity has been nothing short of an evolution toward greater freedom. Wherever freedom flourished, creativity and innovation have thrived. I am sure that each of you here can also appreciate how valuable it is to have freedom from coercion, freedom from unilateral changes to the status quo, freedom from fake news and disinformation that distort public opinion," Yoon said. He added that this is why South Koreans have a strong belief in a democratic system that safeguards individual freedom.

With the long-term vision of a unified Korea's bigger role in enhancing the freedom and human rights not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the Indo-Pacific region, President Yoon said South Korea has been strongly committed to spearheading efforts to support the multilateral free trade regime and further strengthen maritime security of the region.

"Korea's vision on the Indo-Pacific is in line with the objectives of ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific: to safeguard peace, stability, prosperity and a rules-based order in the region," Yoon said. He added that the Korean government will provide financial support over the next three years for development cooperation projects that promote democracy in Indo-Pacific countries.

President Yoon Suk Yeol is presented with a commemorative ceramic gift by the members from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute during the 47th Singapore Lecture held at a hotel in Singapore, Wednesday. Yonhap

When asked by a senior fellow from the ISEAS whether the Aug. 15 Doctrine might threaten the North Korean regime, Yoon emphasized that the South Korean government will continue its efforts to expand the South's free system to the totalitarian regime.

"Our principles and vision are based on freedom and peaceful unification. Therefore, any forced unification through military or physical force is not recognized by our Constitution. We view the unification agenda as an effort to expand the liberal democratic system enjoyed by South Korea to the northern part of the Korean Peninsula," Yoon said.

"This involves creating conditions that will lead the North Korean people to long for unification through freedom while fostering solidarity with the international community to build a consensus that unification is both necessary and beneficial for the Indo-Pacific region and the world. Even if it would take time, we believe that consistently pursuing this unification agenda is the right way to steer the affairs of the Republic of Korea in the right direction."

After his Singapore Lecture, Yoon hosted a luncheon with the Korean community residing in Singapore, encouraging their contributions to the Singaporean economy and development.

Then, Yoon headed to Vientiane, Laos, to attend the ASEAN PLUS Three — a cooperative framework among ASEAN member states as well as South Korea, Japan and China — and the East Asia Summit from Thursday.