Yoon Pays Tribute at UN Forces Memorial on 70th Anniversary of Armistice... First Sitting President to Do So

Visit to UN Memorial Park After 1 Year and 4 Months
UN Allied Nations Delegation Also Pays Tribute

On the 27th, marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement, President Yoon Suk-yeol became the first sitting president in history to pay respects at the United Nations Forces Memorial Tower.

President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee visited the Busan UN Memorial Park that afternoon. President Yoon wore a black suit with a black tie and black sunglasses, while the First Lady wore a black skirt suit with a white blouse.

This visit to the Busan UN Memorial Park was President Yoon's first in over a year and four months since March 4 of last year during his presidential campaign. At that time, President Yoon stated, "The UN cemetery in Busan is a historic site symbolizing the international solidarity of freedom," and pledged, "Our country now enjoys liberal democracy thanks to this international solidarity of freedom, so I believe we must fulfill our international responsibilities going forward."

Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the United Nations Memorial Park in Nam-gu, Busan on the 27th. He laid a wreath at the UN Forces Memorial Tower with representatives from the governments of UN participating countries and then observed a moment of silence. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon paid respects together with Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor-General of New Zealand and her spouse, and Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, at the symbolic area within the UN Memorial Park, including the Luxembourg flag, the New Zealand memorial, the British military war cemetery, and the United Nations Forces Memorial Tower.

The presidential couple first paid respects to the Luxembourg flag alongside Prime Minister Bettel, then visited the New Zealand memorial with Governor-General Kiro and her spouse.

They then moved to the British military war cemetery to pay respects at the grave of James Logan, who died on July 27, 1953, the day the armistice was signed. Finally, together with all representatives of the UN member governments attending the event, they laid flowers and observed a moment of silence at the United Nations Forces Memorial Tower.

The United Nations Forces Memorial Tower was erected in 1978 to commemorate the UN soldiers who died in the Korean War. The tower is a massive white structure featuring two doves connected by a laurel wreath at its center.

The Korean calligraphy on the UN Forces Memorial Tower was personally written by former President Park Chung-hee. Above the laurel wreath, it reads: "유엔군위령탑 IN MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS FORCES WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE KOREAN WAR 1950-1953 (To commemorate the members of the United Nations Forces who sacrificed their lives in the Korean War)."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee visited the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Nam-gu, Busan on the 27th. After laying a wreath at the UN Forces Memorial Tower with the government delegation from UN member countries, they observed a moment of silence.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the site, the OST "Letter" from the film "Taegukgi," which depicts the tragedy of brothers during the Korean War, was played repeatedly.

In addition to Governor-General Kiro and Prime Minister Bettel, the event was attended by Matt Keogh, Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs; Patricia Miralles, French Secretary of State for Veterans; and Darrell Simpson, Canadian Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs.

From the government and the presidential office, attendees included Park Min-sik, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs; Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Security Office; Lim Jong-duk, Deputy Director for Security; Lee Jin-bok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs; Kang Seung-gyu, Senior Secretary for Civil Society; Lim Ki-hoon, Defense Secretary; and Lee Chung-myeon, Foreign Affairs Secretary.

On the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are entering the UN Memorial Cemetery in Nam-gu, Busan on the 27th to pay tribute at the UN Forces Memorial Tower, saluting the Taegeukgi held by the honor guard.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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