President Moon Jae-in attended a Reception for Korean War Veterans held at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul at three o’clock this afternoon. The event was participated in by some 500 guests, including Korean War veterans as well as heads and members of veterans welfare associations. President Moon was accompanied by Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Pi Woo-jin, Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo and Commander of the United Nations Command Gen. Vincent Brooks.

Today’s reception was arranged under the theme “The invaluable sacrifice for the country will be repaid with a united Republic of Korea.” Marking the 67th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, today’s event hosted special guests for the first time—female military service members, female volunteer soldiers, Korean expat veterans and members of the Civilian Transportation Corps and the Korean Service Corps as well as returned prisoners of war. 

In his opening remarks, President Moon stressed that all the Korean War veterans were the source of pride of the Republic of Korea, and every single one of them was part of Korean history. Saying that the Government would repay them with due benefits with utmost sincerity, the President promised that the Government would work to raise war veteran honor allowances and expand medical welfare services to honor them with appropriate treatment. He went on to mention the Battle of Chosin Reservoir and the Hungnam Evacuation from North Korea, the critical milestones in the Korean War, and recalled the fact that the son of a refugee from Hungnam could become the President of the Republic of Korea thanks to the successful rescue operation.

He continued to say that the Korean War was a painful part of history and the wounds of the division and pains of separated families persisted today, but for the sake of ourselves, our children and grandchildren, we needed to move forward at this very moment with courage and determination. President Moon asked the Korean War veterans to be his reliable supporters. He also renewed his commitment that he and President Donald Trump would put their heads together during his visit to the United States next week to reinforce the Korea-U.S. alliance and solve the North Korean nuclear issue and that he would further solidify cooperation with the international community.

In the meantime, former KBS newscaster Wi Jin-rok (90), who first reported the outbreak of the Korean War and the recapture of Seoul, made comments about how he felt when announcing the most heartbreaking news and the most pleasing news back then.

Choi Young-seop, a 90-year old war veteran who took part in the Battle of the Korea Strait, has four sons who are all serving as officers in the military and a grandson who is serving in the Navy. After coming up on the stage with the help of his grandson, Mr. Choi said his failure to take care of collapsing comrades still remained a heartrending pain. He continued that he was still missing around 150,000 soldiers who he could not be with now, which made the atmosphere solemn. James Warren Gillis, an 88-year old Korean War veteran, attended representing the members of the U.N. Forces that took part in the Korean War. As a hero of the Hungnam Evacuation from North Korea, which is recorded as the greatest rescue operation, he said he was delighted to see Korea today after having risen from the ruins of war and expressed his appreciation to President Moon for arranging this sort of event. After sharing his thoughts, Mr. Gillis hugged Mr. Choi in a demonstration of deep friendship and special warmth as comrades who met again for the first time in 60 years. 

Then, to express gratitude to the veterans, live performances were staged by female singer Younha and the Little Angels choir. Younha is the granddaughter of the late Kim Ju-ho, who took part in the repulse of a spy boat off the island of Soheuksan in 1969. The performance by the Little Angels made this event especially meaningful since it toured and performed in the 21 countries that fought in the Korean War in appreciation of their participation. 

As vocalists who took part in the Korean War and soldiers who are assigned as singers in the army led the ensemble, President Moon joined in singing “Jeonuya jal jara” (Comrades, rest in peace), waving the Taegeukgi, the national flag.