"I hope it can be a country that is fair to all of us," he said on the eve of the four-day Chuseok holiday period. This year's Chuseok, the Korean autumn harvest celebration, falls on Friday.

Moon mentioned three of his policy goals -- a vibrant economy, a fair society and a peaceful Korean Peninsula.

He also offered words of consolation to those affected by a powerful typhoon, Lingling, that hit the peninsula at the weekend.

Moon then had a brief phone interview with an MBC radio talk show program on the special occasion of Chuseok.

He said he "couldn't be with the people" in South Korea during the Chuseok holidays in 2018 as he attended a U.N. General Assembly session in New York.

This year, Moon said, he will visit his hometown in Busan to meet his mother. He made no mention of pending political or diplomatic issues during the six-minute interview.

In last year's Chuseok message, meanwhile, Moon focused on his peace efforts and called for the co-prosperity of South and North Koreans.

In 2017, his first year in office, the president placed an emphasis on harmony and social unity.

Earlier this week, Moon appointed Cho Kuk, one of his closest aides, as justice minister despite allegations that Cho used his social status and personal networks to help his daughter win admission to coveted local schools. His wife has been indicted on forgery charges, as investigators believe she fabricated a university president's citation to help get her daughter into medical school.

Critics strongly condemned Moon's appointment of Cho, arguing it runs counter to his stated campaign to promote fairness and righteousness in the country. (Yonhap)