President Lee Jae-myung stated during a speech at the commemoration ceremony for the 6.25 War armistice held in Washington, D.C., on the 27th (local time), that "the United States is a blood alliance and our strongest ally."
In the commemorative speech read by Minister Kwon Oh-eul of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, President Lee noted, "Through efforts in various fields such as politics, economy, security, and culture, we will further solidify the Korea-U.S. alliance bonded by noble blood."
President Lee conveyed, "On behalf of Korea, I would like to once again express my deep gratitude for the noble sacrifices and dedication," and added, "Thanks to the sacrifices and dedication of the countries that participated and their veterans, the people of Korea can enjoy freedom and peace."
The president mentioned that the United States deployed over 1,789,000 troops during the 6.25 War, resulting in over 36,000 deaths and 92,000 injuries, stating, "They shed blood for the people of Korea, whom they had never even met." He further remarked, "I will express gratitude to as many veterans as possible and inform future generations of their ancestors' great dedication, and I will continue to work hard to ensure that freedom and peace are firmly protected on the Korean Peninsula."
The Korean War Veterans Memorial, where the ceremony was held that day, was jointly established by Korea and the United States in 2022, and it bears the names of 43,808 individuals, including 36,634 U.S. soldiers and 7,174 KATUSA soldiers who fell in battle.
The ceremony was attended by over 200 individuals, including Doug Collins, the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Ivan Kanapathy, the senior advisor for the National Security Council at the White House.