Yoon vows firm response to N. Korean provocations in Memorial Day speech

Jun 07, 2022, 08:50 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a speech at a Memorial Day ceremony held at Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul on June 6, 2022./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae

President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed Monday to respond firmly and sternly to nuclear and missile threats of North Korea, who has recently raised its level of provocations.

His remarks indicate that the new administration under President Yoon Suk-yeol is willing to take a tougher stance on North Korea than his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who has never mentioned the North in his previous speeches on Memorial Day.

“North Korea’s nuclear and missile (programs) are reaching the level of threatening not only peace on the Korean Peninsula but also in Northeast Asia and the world,” Yoon said during a ceremony marking the country’s 67th Memorial Day held at Seoul National Cemetery. He pledged to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and establish more fundamental and practical security capabilities. “We will make sure there isn’t a single crack in protecting the lives and property of our people,” he said.

Political observers say the Yoon Suk-yeol administration emphasized its deterrence against the North, who fired eight short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea in its third show of force since the beginning of the Yoon administration.

Former President Moon Jae-in had not directly mentioned North Korea at the previous Memorial Day ceremonies during his term despite a series of North Korean provocations. At the 65th Memorial Ceremony in 2020, Moon had first mentioned the North Korean military once when referring to General Kim Hong-il’s ‘Han river defensive operation’, saying, “(General Kim) blocked the advance of the North Korean military and prepared a new turning point for counterattack.”

On the other hand, Yoon delivered a differentiated message compared to the previous administration, by calling the Korean War as an “invasion of communist forces.” His remarks indicate that the South Korea would raise its level of response if the North raises its level of armed provocations, while leaving the door open to dialogue and compromise.

Besides, Yoon also vowed to establish a fair and reasonable system for families of those killed in the line of duty. “I will create a country where heroes in uniform are respected,” he said.

“The sacrifices of the heroes should no longer lead to the tears of the families left behind. If protecting the national security and people’s safety was the heroes’ mission, it is the country’s duty to take care of the families left behind,” Yoon said, listing the names of firefighters and police officers who were all killed on duty in recent months.

#Yoon Suk-yeol #North Korean provocation #Memorial Day