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| President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech during a ceremony commemorating Memorial Day at Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap |
Memorial Day celebrated together with upgraded veterans' ministry
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that the alliance between South Korea and the United States has been elevated to a nuclear-based one and that the South will establish an ironclad security posture to deter North Korea's threats.
Yoon made the remarks in a speech at a ceremony marking the 68th Memorial Day, which commemorates Koreans who contributed to or died while serving the country.
"North Korea is escalating its nuclear and missile capacity and has enacted its right to use nuclear weapons," Yoon said during the ceremony at Seoul National Cemetery.
"In April, I and U.S. President Joe Biden jointly announced the Washington Declaration, which significantly enhances the extended deterrence of U.S. nuclear assets. The South Korea-U.S. alliance is now upgraded to a nuclear-based one."
In the Washington Declaration, the allies agreed to form a nuclear consultative group (NCG) to bolster Seoul's presence in Washington's nuclear planning and send a U.S. nuclear-armed submarine to the Korean Peninsula if necessary.
The declaration followed North Korea's continued missile tests and purported moves to conduct a seventh nuclear test in the near future. As part of those threats, the North officially enacted a new law guaranteeing its right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself, with the regime's leader Kim Jong-un saying Pyongyang's nuclear status has become irreversible.
"Based on the strongest-ever South Korea-U.S. alliance, the government and the military will establish an ironclad security posture to protect the people's lives and safety," Yoon said.
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| President Yoon Suk Yeol burns incense to pay tribute to fallen patriots at Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, Tuesday, the 68th National Memorial Day. Yonhap |
Tuesday's ceremony was held after the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) was upgraded to a full-fledged ministry from a sub-ministry level a day earlier.
Although the MPVA was referred to as a ministry before the upgrade, its official status was lower than other ministries and did not have the same authority. Its head was not a member of the Cabinet and it did not have the authority to issue ministerial decrees.
As part of his election pledges, Yoon promised to upgrade the MPVA in order to empower it to pursue policies that can properly honor veterans and patriots.
Following the upgrade, the right to manage Seoul National Cemetery was transferred from the Ministry of National Defense to the MPVA, which revealed plans to develop it as a landmark for patriots and as a tourist attraction like the U.S.' Arlington National Cemetery.
"A country's dignity is determined by whom it remembers and how it honors them," Yoon said.
"South Korea stands upon the sacrifices and dedication of those who devoted themselves to achieve independence and build a free democratic country and those who stood up against communism and safeguarded freedom. By passing down and teaching the stories of these heroes to future generations, we must remember and honor them and by doing so, we can be recognized as a commendable nation in the international community."
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