Booyoung Chairman Lee Joonggeun Lays Wreath as National Representative at UN Veterans Memorial Ceremony

"United Nations Day Should Be Re-designated as a Public Holiday"

Lee Joonggeun, Chairman of Booyoung Group and President of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, attended the ceremony commemorating the 19th United Nations Veterans International Memorial Day as a national representative and laid a wreath at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan on November 11. The event was held to honor the sacrifices and dedication of the United Nations forces who participated in the Korean War. Chairman Lee stated, "At 11 a.m. Korean time, the world observes a moment of silence directed toward the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan," and added, "I hope all our people will join in this meaningful commemoration." The ceremony was attended by over 800 people, including Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oeul, Busan Mayor Park Hyungjoon, People Power Party lawmaker Park Sooyoung (representing Nam-gu, Busan), ambassadors from the 22 countries that participated in the Korean War, heads of veterans’ organizations, and UN military personnel.

This was Chairman Lee’s third visit to the UN Memorial Cemetery this year. Having long led efforts to promote accurate historical awareness and respect for veterans, he remarked, "The Korean War was the first and only war involving United Nations forces since the UN’s founding, with participation from 60 countries (16 combatant nations, 6 medical support nations, and 38 material support nations). Thanks to the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to defend freedom and peace, today’s Republic of Korea exists. If UN Day were to be re-designated as a national holiday, it would undoubtedly benefit our future diplomatic relations as well."

Lee Joonggeun, Chairman of Booyoung Group and President of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, is laying a wreath as a national representative at the ceremony commemorating the 19th United Nations Veterans International Memorial Day held at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan on the 11th. Booyoung Group

Chairman Lee has consistently proposed the re-designation of 'UN Day' as a public holiday. UN Day, which commemorates the founding of the United Nations (October 24, 1945), was a legal holiday in Korea until 1975, but was abolished in 1976 in protest against North Korea’s attempt to join the UN. Recently, however, growing public consensus has led to legislative efforts, with Yang Bunam, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, and others introducing a related bill in August, and a petition signed by 400,000 people submitted to the National Assembly in September.

In 2015, Chairman Lee also funded the construction of a 2.7-meter-high monument at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, symbolizing the 23 UN member states that participated in the Korean War. This memorial, along with the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan, remains one of only two UN war heritage sites in the world.

Chairman Lee, using his pen name 'Ujeong,' authored '1129 Days of the Korean War' in the unique historical style known as 'Ujeongche,' and distributed over 10 million free copies to domestic and international organizations and to the countries that participated in the war. Booyoung Group has also continued patriotic and veterans support activities, including sponsoring the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ 'Heroes in Uniform' project, donating 10 billion won to the Air Force’s Sky Love Scholarship Foundation, contributing 100,000 dollars to the Korean War Foundation, and donating 2.8 billion won to improve facilities for remote military units.