President Moon Jae-in pledged Monday to redouble efforts to create a world where women can play the "role of leaders with equal rights" in every field.

He issued the message on the occasion of International Women's Day.

"When more women can work in a greater variety of positions without career interruptions, an inclusive recovery and leap forward will also accelerate," he wrote on his social messaging accounts.

Even amid the difficulties caused by COVID-19, women have been acting as a buttress to surmount the crisis and have borne a greater share of the pain, he noted.

He also recalled Korea's modern history related to its women forced to serve as sex slaves by Japan for its troops during World War II.

"Thinking about modern Korean history in which women, including the now elderly comfort women victims, had harder lives, I have respect for all women who worked resolutely to raise their status," the liberal-minded leader added. (Yonhap)