President vows to recover remains of fallen soldiers

President Moon Jae-in touches the tombstone of Park Kyung-soo, one of the 46 South Korean soldiers killed in North Korea’s torpedo attack on the Navy frigate Cheonan in March 2010, after attending a ceremony for the 63rd Memorial Day at Daejeon National Cemetery, Wednesday. / Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday he will push for a project to recover the remains of fallen soldiers inside the Demilitarized Zone if North Korea agrees.

During a ceremony to mark the 63rd Memorial Day at Daejeon National Cemetery, he vowed to recover the remains of “every last” man who is still listed as missing in action from the 1950-53 Korean War.

They include soldiers from the United States and other countries that fought under the U.N. coalition forces.

“I first and foremost will push to recover the remains in the DMZ, when inter-Korean relations continue to improve,” he said. “It will go on until the remains of every last soldier and police officer killed during the Korean War are recovered. We will also be able to recover the remains of those who joined the war from abroad, including from the U.S.”

The President's remarks came after high-level officials of the two Koreas agreed on June 1 to hold a series of talks aimed at expanding their cooperation later this month.

The topics of the talks will vary from easing military tension to the reunion of separated families to joint preparations for the Asian Games in Indonesia, slated for Aug. 18 to Sept. 2.

The talks will be a follow-up measure to agreements reached between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jon-un during their two summits on April 27 and May 26.

The reconciliatory mood on the peninsula is expected to deepen when Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump meet in Singapore on June 12 to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearization.

Some diplomatic sources speculate the first-ever summit between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. may be followed by a three-way dialogue involving Moon.

Leaders of the three countries have never met together.

Despite Cheong Wa Dae's denial, speculation about the three-way summit has not ceased since it was found that Moon will cast an early ballot for the local elections on June 8, not on the regular June 13 Election Day.

Cheong Wa Dae has explained Moon will vote early to boost voter turnout, but sources say the measure is to join Kim and Trump at their June 12 summit.

Government officials said this year's Memorial Day service took place at Daejeon National Cemetery to better highlight the Moon administration's efforts to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the country.

This was the first time since 1999 that a government-led Memorial Day service has taken place at Daejeon National Cemetery, not Seoul National Cemetery.

The cemetery in Seoul mostly honors independence fighters and war veterans, while the one in Daejeon has graves for a wider range of patriots including firefighters and government workers.

“The history of the Republic of Korea has been built on the everyday lives of our families and neighbors next door,” Moon said. “They chanted for independence, went to battlegrounds to protect this country, worked hard for economic development and took to the streets when democracy was in jeopardy. And Daejeon National Cemetery belongs to them.”

The President promised to bolster efforts to better honor veterans and patriots and support their bereaved families.

He pointed out the government budget for veterans' affairs has surpassed 5 trillion won ($4.7 billion) this year for the first time.

He also said the government increased special allowances for living patriotic heroes by 50 percent and will open hospitals and rehabilitation facilities for them in major cities.

The restoration of the command headquarters of Korean independence war troops will be completed by April 2019, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Korean provisional government in exile during 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

The restoration is underway in Chongqing, southwest China, where the headquarters had been located.