'Veterans Affairs as the Foundation of Security, Committed Until the End' Message from the Yoon Administration

Yoon: "The Cheonan Ship Attack Was North Korea's Armed Provocation"
55 Warriors Who Defended the West Sea Called One by One
Emphasizing National Responsibility for Veterans... "We Will Not Forget"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's message announced at the West Sea Defense Day commemorative ceremony is analyzed as emphasizing the 'state's responsibility' for veterans affairs. In particular, following the bold plan that set North Korea's denuclearization will as a precondition and the revival of the expression 'North Korean military forces are our enemies' in the defense white paper, the Yoon administration's security stance to firmly respond to North Korea's military provocations is evaluated to have become even more resolute.

Moon Sung-mook, head of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Institute for National Strategy, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 24th, "President Yoon's declaration that 'the Cheonan sinking was caused by North Korea's attack' clearly states that the fallen soldiers are victims and that the state's responsibility is to honor them," adding, "It can be seen as expressing a strong will not to overlook North Korea's provocations and to ensure that such tragedies never happen again."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are paying their respects at the Memorial Tower during the 8th West Sea Defense Day ceremony held on the 24th at the National Daejeon National Cemetery in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon emphasized at the 8th West Sea Defense Day commemorative ceremony held at the National Daejeon National Cemetery, "Our Navy and Marine Corps soldiers have defended our territory with blood against numerous North Korean military provocations, including the Battle of Yeonpyeong, the Battle of Daecheong, the Cheonan sinking, and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling." Former President Moon Jae-in attended the West Sea Defense Day ceremony only twice during his term and never stated that the Cheonan sinking was North Korea's act.

President Yoon also honored the valor of the fallen by conducting a 'roll-call' to call out the names of 55 warriors who died defending the West Sea, the first time a sitting president has done so. Unlike in the past, the ceremony was held in a manner that provides the highest honors to the bereaved families and veterans of the West Sea defense, and notably, 55 representatives of the bereaved families and veterans were seated in prominent seats, and President Yoon accompanied them during the flower offering and incense burning.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is choking up before calling out the names of the 55 West Sea Defense heroes at the 8th West Sea Defense Day ceremony held on the 24th at the National Daejeon National Cemetery in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Moon Sung-mook, a retired army brigadier general, said, "The 'peace through strength' that the Yoon government aims for is based on strong national defense, so respect and treatment for soldiers who sacrificed for the country are inseparable," adding, "Like the American culture of respecting the Man In Uniform, the message that veterans affairs form the foundation of security also holds important significance in raising the lowered security awareness."

There are also expectations that this message, along with the promotion of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, will serve as a stepping stone to normalize the issue of the state's inadequate honors for fallen soldiers. The Yoon administration has presented as one of its national tasks "a country that respects and remembers those who sacrificed for the nation and its people," and President Yoon emphasized at the time of the ministry's promotion, "We will never forget those who responded to the nation's call."

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the 77th graduation and commissioning ceremony held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Naval Academy in Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, and encouraged the cadets by clenching his fist.
[Photo by the Office of the President]

Some express concerns that North Korea might use President Yoon's strong message as a pretext to stage another military demonstration, but there are also remarks that the Moon Jae-in administration should be taken as a lesson. During that time, the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises were drastically reduced to maintain a conciliatory stance toward North Korea, and direct mentions of the Cheonan sinking incident were avoided, yet North Korea carried out provocations regardless.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, said, "North Korea has pursued a hostile policy toward South Korea regardless of the South Korean government's stance, and the previous administration had problems in adequately responding to North Korea's nuclear development behind its pursuit of peace," adding, "Although North Korea may deliberately pick a fight over President Yoon's message and provoke, the continuation of a 'strong versus strong' confrontation between the South and the North is ultimately due to North Korea's provocations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.