President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that South Korea will defend liberal democracy through strength by deterring threats posed by North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile program and other provocations. Yoon made the remark during a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the right-leaning Korea Freedom Foundation as he slammed North Korea's recent signing of a mutual defense treaty with Russia and sending of trash-filled balloons across the border. "Our government will firmly defend the freedom and prosperity of citizens with strength, not just words," Yoon said during the ceremony in Incheon, west of Seoul. "We will not retreat a single step in protecting the freedom and lives of our people, ensuring that no one dares to threaten the country." Yoon underscored the importance of upholding the values of liberal democracy and a free market economy, highlighting North Korea's dismal economy and human rights issues. "North Korea, which chose communist totalitarianism, remains the last frozen land on earth, the darkest and poorest place in the world," he said. "While we enjoy freedom and prosperity, many of our compatriots in North Korea are suffering from hunger, deprived of even basic human rights." Source: Yonhap News Agency