Korea-US Friendship Conference highlights enduring alliance, honors UN veterans

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok delivers a keynote speech during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Political, religious and civic leaders from South Korea and the United States gathered in Seoul on Sunday to reaffirm the enduring strength of the bilateral alliance and discuss ways to permanently honor the sacrifices of United Nations veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference brought together about 150 leaders and officials to reaffirm the blood-forged alliance between the two nations. The event focused on finding ways to pass this legacy of cooperation down to future generations.

The event was hosted by the Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation. Officially established in November 2025 by Yoido Full Gospel Church, the foundation’s mission is to commemorate sacrifices of U.N. troops who defended South Korea's freedom and peace, most notably through an ongoing initiative to construct a dedicated memorial park in Seoul.

Rev. Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church and founding chairman of the Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation, delivers a speech during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation

Rev. Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church and the founding chairman of the memorial foundation, opened the event by stressing the importance of gratitude and historical remembrance.

"First and foremost, I convey my deepest respect and gratitude to the Korean War veterans who did not spare even their own lives for freedom and peace of our Republic of Korea," Lee said.

"The Bible tells us that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. The sacrifice of the veterans who fought alongside South Korea was the very practice of this love."

Lee emphasized that South Korea's rise from the ruins of war to join the top 10 global economic powers was made possible by the assistance of the international community.

"We must remember that sacrifice, we must not forget that grace and we must pass this mindset on to the next generation," Lee said. "Our foundation will continue to honor the noble sacrifices of these heroes, continue the sentiment of gratitude through the memorial park project and fulfill our role as a bridge for friendship and peace between our two nations."

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, center, shakes hands with Rev. Lee Young-hoon, founding chairman of the Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation, during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok traced the deep roots of the alliance, noting that the official relationship began with the 1882 Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation, before being firmly cemented during the Korean War and the subsequent 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty.

"Decades ago, South Korea relied on American aid, but now the annual bilateral trade volume has reached $200 billion," Kim said, highlighting the nation's transformation from an aid recipient to a global contributor.

"In core future high-tech industries such as semiconductors, secondary batteries, automobiles, shipbuilding and investments, Korean companies are contributing significantly to the U.S. economy."

The prime minister added the partnership has evolved into an irreplaceable and mutually beneficial relationship.

"As everyone knows through MASGA (the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again initiative), Korea has grown into an irreplaceable partner in boosting America’s own competitiveness," he said.

Praising the memorial foundation's efforts, Kim added, "What is more powerful than any phrase written in a treaty is the pure passion of the private sector, which strives to remember the sacrifices of veterans across generations and inherit that gratitude."

Paula White-Cain, senior advisor to the White House Faith Office, delivers a video address during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation

Paula White-Cain, senior adviser to the White House Faith Office, delivered a video address highlighting the cultural and spiritual ties that predate the military alliance. She pointed to American missionaries who arrived 140 years ago to establish schools and hospitals.

"It was this friendship strengthened through generations that would later be tested during the Korean War," White-Cain said. "Young men and women from across the globe stood together under the banner of the United Nations to defend the Republic of Korea against communism. Their actions demonstrated that freedom is not merely an ideal, but a principle worth defending and preserving."

James Heller, charge d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, delivers a speech during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation

James Heller, charge d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, focused on the human cost of the conflict and the ongoing strategic importance of the alliance in the Indo-Pacific region.

"Over 36,000 Americans gave their lives. The Republic of Korea that stands today, a thriving democracy and a trusted ally, is in no small part the fruit of their sacrifice," Heller said.

"Our alliance remains an enduring force for peace. It stands as the linchpin of peace and stability on the peninsula and across the region, rooted in our shared values of freedom and democracy."

Expressing support for the foundation's goals, Heller said the physical and symbolic importance of remembrance.

"Monuments are more than stone and landscape, they are declarations that we will never forget the cost of freedom, and they are our commitment to bear the same burden for future generations," he said.

Larry Ellis, a retired U.S. Army general and senior director of Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation, delivers a speech during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Larry Ellis, who serves as a senior director of the memorial foundation, reiterated the brutal reality of the three-year conflict and the huge sacrifice made by American soldiers.

"My purpose is twofold. First, I want to lead those present in saying thank you to our Korean War veterans for their sacrifices. Second, I want to set the conditions for building a lasting memorial," Ellis said.

"Our purpose here today on the Korean Peninsula is to ensure that the so-called Korean War, the forgotten war, will never be forgotten by the people of the Republic of Korea."

Music ensemble Gaon Soloists perform during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation

Yoon Young-kwan, a former foreign minister now serving on the foundation's committee, highlighted his deep ties to the U.S., where he spent nine years pursuing higher education after growing up in postwar Korea.

"Whenever I visited Washington D.C., especially the Korean War Veterans Memorial, a certain emotion always stirred within me," Yoon said.

"I felt a sense of shame questioning why there is a beautiful memorial in the United States, which risked everything to protect us, while no such proper memorial exists in Korea, the very country that came to prosper thanks to that help."

Yoon said this realization drove him to eagerly join the foundation's project. "I believe that building a memorial park to express our gratitude for the sacrifices of the United States and the other 15 U.N. participating nations is something that the vast majority of Koreans have deeply desired in their hearts," he added.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon delivers a speech during the Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Sunday. Newsis

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon outlined the city’s ongoing efforts to ensure the veterans' sacrifices remain visible to the public, highlighting a newly created commemorative space in the heart of the capital.

"Seoul deeply sympathizes with this mission, and last month, we created the Garden of Gratitude at Gwanghwamun Square," he said. "This is a space that embodies our promise to honor the sacrifices of participating nations and veterans. We will carefully nurture this open space so that citizens, global visitors and future generations can feel the value of freedom and peace with their hearts."