President Lee Jae-myung attended the Memorial Day ceremony on the 6th to honor the martyrs and fallen heroes who sacrificed for the nation and the people and to console the national merit awardees.
The 71st Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, on the 6th. This year's ceremony was held under the theme "We will remember, record, and fulfill our responsibility." It means to reflect on the sacrifice and dedication for the nation and the community and to carry on that spirit.
In his memorial address, the president emphasized that whenever the national community faced crises, the people joined forces to overcome hardships, and he pledged to build a proud Republic of Korea as the martyrs and fallen heroes had hoped.
The president said, "I extend my deep respect to the national merit awardees and their families who dedicated themselves to all," adding, "We stand today on top of 'all the tomorrows' they gave."
He continued, "Independence activists gave their lives to reclaim the country that had been taken, and the fallen heroes fought through the smoke of gunpowder for the nation and the people," adding, "Without their noble sacrifice and dedication, today's Republic of Korea, admired by the world, could never have existed, and the free and peaceful daily life we enjoy would have been impossible."
He then stressed that "honoring the spirit of the forebears and according them proper respect is a social duty that those of us who are alive must rightly fulfill."
The president also said, "Respect for dedication is the driving force that sustains the national community and moves it forward," adding, "The popular sovereignty government has been steadily fulfilling the promises made on Memorial Day a year ago."
About 3,000 people attended the ceremony, including national merit awardees and bereaved families, government officials, and uniformed personnel.
In particular, the bereaved families of the late Sergeant Lee Jae-seok, who died in the line of duty while rescuing a man stranded in the tidal flats of Naeri, Yeongheungdo, Ongjin County, Incheon, in September last year, and of the late Warrant Officers Jeong Sang-geun and Jang Hee-seong, who died in the Army helicopter crash in February this year, were also invited.
The ceremony, which began with a memorial siren sounding simultaneously nationwide at exactly 10 a.m., proceeds in the following order: silent tribute and national ceremony, laying of flowers and incense burning, presentation of certificates to national merit awardees, the president's memorial address, a memorial performance, and a group singing of the Hymn for the National Cemetery.
Choi Il-sang, a wounded veteran and former Paralympic national table tennis player, reads the pledge of allegiance to the national flag, and the mother of the late Sergeant Lee Jae-seok reads a letter to her son.
At the end of the event, musical actor Choi Jung-won, a citizens' choir, and vocal soldiers from the Ministry of National Defense sing "You, My Friend," and all attendees rise to sing the Hymn for the National Cemetery.