President Moon Jae-in says, ‘Establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula is the way to return the courage of the war veterans,’ in a speech he uploaded on June 26. The photo shows him in June last year in downtown Seoul where he addressed a reception for Korean War veterans to mark the 67th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. (Cheong Wa Dae)
By Yoon Sojung
President Moon Jae-in said on June 26 that, “The way to fully return the courage of war veterans who fought against the pain of war is to make the Korean Peninsula a peaceful, war-free land.”
In the speech uploaded to his social media profiles, originally written to pay tribute at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, President Moon said, “Peace is the true way to reward the veterans’ endeavors and the true way of commemoration.”
“The Republic of Korea will always be with U.N. war veterans on the path toward the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula.”
President Moon praised the Inter-Korean Summit and the North Korea-U.S. Summit in Singapore as the journey toward a peaceful Korean Peninsula. He said, “At the Inter-Korean Summit, the two Korean leaders declared a commitment to complete denuclearization and the two leaders declared there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula. Also, the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. ended the relationship of hostility between North Korea and the U.S. through the summit in Singapore.”
President Moon mentioned Pyeongyang’s plan to return the remains of approximately 200 U.S. soldiers who died in North Korea, and to begin excavations of the remains of missing soldiers, two acts that were agreed upon at the Pyeongyang-Washington summit.
“The government of the Republic of Korea will fulfill its responsibility so that the excavation and return of the U.N. war veterans, including Americans, who lost their lives or who are missing can be carried out in a swift and complete manner,” said President Moon.
He urged that, “The sacrifices and devotion of the war veterans should become valuable assets for their descendants.”
He said that the government will launch a peace camp for youth from U.N. countries that participated in the Korean War, and provide scholarships and extend support for descendants of U.N. war veterans who hope to study in Korea. President Moon also said that his administration will work for the construction of a “memorial wall” at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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http://www.korea.net/Government/Briefing-Room/Presidential-Speeches/view?articleId=160743
arete@korea.kr
