On Memorial Day Friday, President Lee Jae-myung pledged to provide “extraordinary rewards for extraordinary sacrifices,” committing to greater honor and support for Korea’s heroes and their families at his first national commemoration since taking office.
Addressing 4,000 attendees — including national merit honorees and their families — Lee also promised to improve working conditions for soldiers, police and firefighters.
"Honoring those who have served is the minimum respect owed for sacrifice and dedication — and it is a responsibility and duty the state must fulfill," Lee said, addressing the audience at the 70th Memorial Day ceremony, held annually on June 6 at the Seoul National Cemetery.
“Extraordinary sacrifices made for the good of all deserve to be met with extraordinary rewards,” Lee underscored at the ceremony, which was also attended by the grieving families of four Navy service members who lost their lives in a maritime patrol aircraft crash in May.
Lee's televised speech came after a nationwide siren sounded at 10 a.m., marking a minute of silence to honor those who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
Lee underscored that "there have always been those who willingly dedicated and sacrificed themselves when our people and nation were in danger."
Lee paid tribute to independence activists during Japan’s colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, soldiers and youth during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, and those who fought for democracy against dictatorship through the 1980s.
"Thanks to their noble dedication, we were able to regain the light," Lee said. "We must never forget the origins of the freedom, peace, affluence and prosperity we enjoy today."
In his speech, Lee promised to "elevate the honor and substantially strengthen the support afforded to national merit honorees and their families."
"The saying that ‘three generations suffer for having fought for independence, while three generations prosper for collaborating with colonial powers’ must disappear once and for all," Lee told participants.
To ensure the well-being of national merit honorees, he also pledged to establish a comprehensive veterans’ medical care system, enabling timely and convenient access to medical benefits close to home.
For bereaved families, Lee committed to strengthening support and addressing gaps in the system so that the surviving spouses of veterans do not face hardship.
Lee promised “fair compensation” for military careers, ensuring that both national merit honorees and discharged veterans receive the recognition befitting their dedication.
He further vowed to enhance service and working conditions for the military, police and firefighters so that "they can devote themselves solely to serving the nation and its people without any concerns."
At the memorial event, Song Jae-sook, a bereaved family member of a Korean War veteran, read her letter expressing her longing and respect for her father, the late Pfc. Song Young-hwan.
After her father perished during the Korean War in 1951, when she was just 3 years old and her parents’ marriage had not been officially registered, she was listed as the daughter of her father’s older brother on official documents.
"After living through more than seventy long and distant years, finally being able to meet my father again now fills me with indescribable joy and brings me to tears," Song read the letter to her father, recounting years of missing her father without being able to recall his face.
Song Young-hwan’s remains were discovered in 2013, but his family relationship was not confirmed until 11 years later in October 2024. The Defense Ministry restored his portrait based on his remains and delivered it to his daughter on May 8, marking Parents’ Day in Korea this year.
"I understand a little now. Is there anyone who is not afraid of death? There must have been something you wanted to protect, even at the cost of your life," She read the letter with tears in her eyes.
"What you protected, father, was the Republic of Korea, was my mother, was my grandmother, was me. That is why you threw yourself into that rain of shells and bullets,"
Bringing the letter to a close, Song said, "Because of your sacrifice, countless lives — those who were left behind, protected, or newly born — are living today under the name of the Republic of Korea. Thank you so much."
In his speech, the president underscored, "It is a shared responsibility entrusted to those of us who enjoy today to ensure that the nation safeguarded by our patriotic martyrs and fallen heroes shines even more brightly."
"To build a peaceful country free from the fear of war and a safe country where daily life remains undisturbed is the most responsible response to their noble sacrifice and dedication."
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
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