President Lee Jae-myung said Saturday that "we will not bury the issue of abductees in history," pledging efforts toward resolving the matter of those taken to North Korea during the Korean War.
"We will make it possible to recognize this as a task that our society must resolve, through remembering and recording, educating and researching, and through communication and solidarity," Lee said.
Lee made the remarks in a commemorative address read on his behalf by Kim Nam-jung, vice minister of unification, at a ceremony held at the National Korean War Abductees Memorial Hall at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on the "Memorial Day for Korean War Abductees."
"Today is a 'Day of Remembrance' to reflect on the horrors of war, and also a 'Day of Resolve' on which we pledge to surely create complete peace," Lee said. "It is also a 'Day of Solidarity' standing with all those around the world suffering from war and conflict."
He added, "On this 'Day of Remembrance,' we wish for and pledge to build together a world where no one is ever again separated from family by war, and a future where waves of peace spread across the Korean Peninsula and the entire world."
"We will make efforts toward a practical resolution of the abductee issue through dialogue and cooperation," Lee stressed. "I believe the path to complete peace will only open when we face our wounds directly, remember those who suffer, and pledge and act to ensure the same tragedy is never repeated."
He added, "We will never give up until this 'Day of Remembrance' becomes a true 'Day of Peace.' We will quietly carry out what we can do to transform hostility and confrontation between the two Koreas into peaceful coexistence."
