South Korea's top envoy to the United States on Tuesday emphasized the importance of further developing the alliance between the two nations based on their achievements over the past six decades.
Delivering a speech at a formal ceremony to mark the 63rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, Amb. Ahn Ho-young said what South Korea has done over the last 60 years economically and politically would have not been possible without the mutual security ties.
He attached special meaning to this year's event, noting 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the birth of the Seoul-Washington alliance with the armistice ending the three-year conflict.
"I think on the 60th anniversary, of course, we celebrate all the achievements we have made, but what is even more important is to look ahead to the coming 60 years and beyond of the relationship between Korea and the United States," he said at the wreath-laying event at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.