President Lee Jae-myung said Friday, on Memorial Day, that "special sacrifice for all must be matched with special compensation," stressing that "honor and compensation come through action, not words."
Lee attended the 71st Memorial Day ceremony held at the Seoul National Cemetery that day. Held under the theme "We Will Remember, Record, and Fulfill Our Responsibility," the ceremony was attended by some 3,000 people, including those who rendered distinguished service to the country, bereaved family members, and government officials.
Lee began his memorial address by saying, "I extend my deep respect to those who rendered distinguished service to the country and dedicated themselves for all, and to their bereaved families." He continued, "We stand today upon all the tomorrows they gave up," adding, "Independence activists dedicated their lives to reclaiming a country that had been taken away, and the patriotic martyrs fought through the smoke of gunfire for the nation and its people." He also said, "Democratic citizens confronted the violence of dictatorship that wielded guns and swords, and built the Republic of Korea into a democratic powerhouse."
He went on to say, "Without their noble sacrifice and dedication, today's Republic of Korea, admired by the world, could never have existed, and the free and peaceful daily lives we enjoy would have been impossible." He stressed, "Honoring the spirit of our patriotic forebears and paying them due respect is a social duty that we, the living, must rightly fulfill."
Lee said, "Honoring dedication is the driving force that sustains the national community and moves it forward," adding, "The People's Sovereignty Government is steadily fulfilling the promises it made on Memorial Day one year ago." He then mentioned the passage of the Independence Patriots Act through the National Assembly, the provision of livelihood support payments to the spouses of war veterans, the sequential expansion of designated medical institutions, and preparations for the designation of quasi-veterans' hospitals.
