President Lee Jae Myung on June 6 gives a commemorative speech at a Memorial Day ceremony held at Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul's Dongjak-gu District. (Office of the President)

By Kim Hyelin

President Lee Jae Myung on June 25 said, "This is an era in which peace is directly linked to the economy and the people's survival," adding, "I pledge to firmly set up a peace system on the Korean Peninsula."

He said this in a speech at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.

In a post on his Facebook page that day, he wrote, "The surest state of security is the lack of need to fight, namely the creation of peace."

"The era of sole reliance on military power to guard the country is over," he added. "What is more important is to win without fighting than win by fighting."

"When the war ended in 1953, our country had a per capita income of only USD 67, but the figure now exceeds USD 36,000 to make us one of the world's top 10 economic powers," he said. "In addition to economic growth, we have seen remarkable progress in a range of sectors like education, health, science and technology, and culture."

"Today's Republic of Korea was never created on its own; it was possible because of the sacrifice and commitment of our soldiers who defended the battlefields, veterans and their bereaved families, and everyone who lived bearing the scars of war."

"I feel regret over the inability to give proper compensation and courtesy to those making special sacrifices to protect our country," he added. "We will explore a range of methods to ensure that more support continues in the future."

Held at Daejeon Convention Center in Daejeon at 10 a.m., the ceremony saw medals of honor going to two people whose fathers were irregular soldiers who fought in the conflict. Attending were some 1,300 people including veterans, leading figures from the government and military, and diplomatic officials from countries that participated in the war.

kimhyelin211@korea.kr