South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol led the Wreath Laying and Tribute Paying Ceremony held at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea, located in Busan.
Delegates from the UN Sending States also participated in the said ceremony. The Philippines was represented by Philippine Veterans Affairs Office Administrator, Undersecretary Reynaldo B Mapagu, representing the Secretary of National Defense, Secretary Gilberto C Teodoro, Jr.; Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, H.E. Maria Theresa B Dizon-De Vega; and Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attache to the Republic of Korea, Col. Enriquito R Deocadez, Jr. PA
To cap off the week-long commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement and UN Forces Participation day, President Yoon led the UN Forces Participation Day Ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center, Busan.
The venue holds a significant meaning as it sits on the former Pusan-Suyeong Airfield where the first American troops to support the Republic of Korea arrived and was subsequently used as a military airbase for the the duration of the war.
In his message, President Yoon expressed the Korean people’s deepest gratitude and infinite respect to the UN Sending States and their veterans who came to aid the Republic of Korea in their most desperate times. Citing Busan as an example from the last bastion of their Republic’s defense and a refugee site during the war to a shipping logistics powerhouse today, President Yoon recognized that their sacrifices laid the groundwork which helped the Republic of Korea become what it is today.
