Minister Kwon, distinguished guests, veterans, families, and friends,
It is a profound honor to stand here in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, on sacred ground, where love of nation still echoes. Beneath these markers rest soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines from fourteen of the original twenty-two nations who sent their treasure to Korea, men and women who chose to defend a freedom that was not their own.
Each year, when we turn toward Busan, we do more than remember a war.
We honor the moment the world stood shoulder to shoulder for peace.
In 1950, this city was the last stronghold, the final line between liberty and loss. Yet from those desperate months came something extraordinary: nations that had never fought together learned to stand as one.
Today, Busan represents not only the defense of a nation, but the birth of an enduring partnership… proof that shared sacrifice is the bedrock of all our ironclad alliances and the modernization of the ROK-US Alliance.
There’s a verse from Ecclesiastes that speaks to this truth:
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves; a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
That verse reminds us that unity is strength… and strength built on trust, always endures.
The United Nations Command is that cord, woven from the service and sacrifice of many nations. Its held fast in Korea’s darkest hour, and it continues to hold fast today, ensuring that no nation stands alone in defense of peace
So today we honor those servicemembers who did more than win battles.
They built the foundation of peace that has lasted for more than seven decades.
The Republic of Korea’s prosperity, its vibrant democracy, its global leadership, its promise for the future… all grew from the soil kept free by their courage.
Our task now is stewardship.
We must guard that peace with vigilance, to honor their legacy through readiness, and to ensure that the friendships forged here remain strong for generations to come. Not by words or platitudes or rhetoric, but by our actions.
The men and women who rest here showed us that together, we are stronger than any storm… a cord not quickly broken.
May their memory guide our actions and may the peace they fought for remain our shared promise.
Thank you.
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.11.2025 06:31 |
| Story ID: | 550916 |
| Location: | BUSAN, KR |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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