(Unofficial Translation)

My fellow Koreans, distinguished persons of national merit and bereaved families,

On the occasion of the 71st Memorial Day, we honor the noble sacrifices of the patriots and heroes who gave their lives for the Republic of Korea.

I also extend my deepest respect to all those who have been decorated for devotion to the common good, and to their bereaved families.

Joining us here today are bereaved family members of the late Assistant Inspector Lee Jae-seok, who perished in the line of duty at sea after giving his life jacket to someone in danger; and the late Warrant Officers Jeong Sang-geun and Jang Hee-seong, who held on to the controls of their helicopter until the very end to protect our people.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest condolences. The Korean people and the Republic of Korea will forever remember these heroes’ noble spirit.

Fellow Koreans,

Today is a day of solemn remembrance – a day for all of us to remember and preserve the noble spirit of all those who gave their lives for our country and to fulfill our responsibility to them.

We stand today on “all the tomorrows” they secured through their sacrifice.

Independence activists devoted their lives to regaining a country that had been taken from them.

Our fallen heroes fought through battlefields shrouded in gun smoke for their nation and fellow citizens.

Democratic citizens stood up to the violence of dictatorship, even in the face of guns and bayonets, and helped build the Republic of Korea into a strong democracy.

Without their noble sacrifice and devotion, the Republic of Korea that is admired around the world today would not exist, and the free and peaceful lives we enjoy every day would not have been possible.

Upholding the spirit of our forebears and honoring them with the respect they deserve is a historic and social responsibility that we, the survivors, must fulfill.

Respect for devotion is the driving force that sustains our national community and moves it forward.

If devotion to the good of all goes unrecognized, who will step forward for the community when the next crisis comes?

That is why an extraordinary sacrifice for the common good must be met with extraordinary compensation, commensurate with that sacrifice.

Honoring and compensating fallen heroes is a matter of action, not just words.

The government, founded on popular sovereignty, is steadily delivering on the pledges it made on Memorial Day last year.

A bill to amend the Act on the Honorable Treatment of Persons of Distinguished Service to Independence, which aims to broaden the scope of compensation for the bereaved families of independence activists, was passed by the National Assembly this year and is scheduled to take effect next year.

We are also faithfully honoring our commitment to provide livelihood support payments to the surviving spouses of our war veterans.

We are proceeding as planned with our commitment to gradually increase the number of contracted medical institutions with a view to establishing a veterans’ healthcare system that leaves no one behind.

We are preparing to designate quasi-veterans hospitals in Gangwon-do Province and on Jeju Island, which currently lack dedicated veterans’ hospitals, so that high-quality medical care can be provided to those in need.

We will only make promises we can keep, and once made, we will keep them unfailingly to ensure that the noble sacrifices made for the good of all are duly repaid.

Along with honoring those who protected our community, bringing to account those who betrayed it for personal gain is an equally vital responsibility entrusted to us survivors.

This is because righteous unity – essential for a national community’s preservation and continued progress – can be achieved only when dedication is lauded and betrayal is met with justice.

Through the Special Act on Asset Confiscation for Pro-Japanese and Anti-National Collaborators to the State, promulgated on June 2, we will investigate and recover assets unlawfully accumulated by pro-Japanese, anti-national collaborators, hold them firmly accountable and set a precedent to prevent any recurrence of such wrongdoings.

Just as we honor those who defended us in the past, we must also accord our “citizens in uniform,” who stand guard today, the full respect and recognition they deserve.

It is thanks to the dedication of our military personnel, firefighters, police officers, coast guards and correctional officers that our people are able to go about their daily lives with peace of mind.

The government will stand firmly behind our “citizens in uniform,” ensuring that they have everything they need to fully devote themselves to their fundamental duty of serving the nation and the people.

We will improve the system of support for injured service members so that those who are unfortunately wounded in service may receive the recognition and benefits they deserve as veterans immediately upon being discharged.

Also, we are now providing family allowances to all military personnel and police officers injured through a natural or humanmade disaster, up to the level of Injury Grade 7, which had been relatively overlooked.

I pledge to continue carefully monitoring the treatment they receive and to firmly address any shortcomings.

Fellow Koreans,

Throughout our history, whenever our national community has faced an existential crisis, the great people of the Republic of Korea have come together to overcome adversity.

That spirit has been carried on through the dedication of our fallen patriots and heroes, and it remains clearly etched in our hearts.

Today, the Republic of Korea is once again weathering waves of crisis. No sooner had we recovered from a devastating insurrection than the war in the Middle East struck, leaving us without a chance to catch our breath and significantly impacting our economy and lives.

However, I am confident that we will prevail over any challenge, thanks to the potential of the great people of the Republic of Korea, who always unite as a greater community in the face of national crises.

The government will surmount this crisis together with the people and devote itself to building a proud Republic of Korea – the kind of nation that our fallen patriots and heroes so earnestly longed for.

The Republic of Korea will become a nation where everyone enjoys equality regardless of where they live, a safe nation where everyone lives with peace of mind, a hopeful nation where people look forward to a better tomorrow and a peaceful, prosperous nation of great unity where everyone is well off.

I believe that building a proud nation like ours is the truest way to honor the sacrifices of our fallen patriots and heroes and to further exalt their noble spirits.

Marking the 71st Memorial Day, I pay tribute once again to the noble sacrifices and devotion of our fallen patriots and heroes.

Thank you.