President Yoon and First Lady Attend 'Brothers in Defense of the Nation' Burial Ceremony

The Third Brothers' Cemetery for National Defense Established at Seoul National Cemetery
Brothers Each Died in Battles of 1951 and 1950

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife attended the interment ceremony of the remains of the late Army Private Kim Bong-hak, who died in the Korean War, on June 6, Memorial Day.

The presidential office stated in a press release that President Yoon and his wife attended the 'Brothers in Defense of the Nation' interment ceremony held at the National Seoul National Cemetery that morning and witnessed the burial of the late soldier's remains. This marks the first time in 12 years that a president has attended the 'Brothers in Defense of the Nation' interment ceremony since President Lee Myung-bak on June 6, 2011.

Private Kim Bong-hak was killed in action during the Battle of the Bloody Ridge in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province, in September 1951, where the Republic of Korea's 5th Division and the U.S. 2nd Division jointly repelled two North Korean divisions. His remains were first discovered in 2011, and his identity was confirmed through DNA testing of his family in February of this year.

On the 5th, a day before Memorial Day, the Seoul Dream Billboard made up of about 150 photos of Korean War veterans was unveiled on the front of the Seoul Library in Jung-gu, Seoul. This Dream Billboard features the phrase "You are a hero even after 70 years" along with photos of Korean War veterans forming the number 70, symbolizing the 70th anniversary of the armistice. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The place where Private Kim Bong-hak was interred this time is the burial site of his younger brother, the late Army Private Kim Seong-hak. Private Kim Seong-hak also died in the Korean War during a battle near Chuncheon defending the area around the 38th parallel in December 1950. The two brothers were reunited through their remains 73 years after participating in the Korean War.

With this, the National Seoul National Cemetery now has its third 'Brothers in Defense of the Nation' burial site. For the interment ceremony, soil from Bisan-dong, Seo-gu, Daegu, the hometown of the Kim brothers, was prepared and used for the burial.

Attendees at the ceremony included the bereaved families, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Seung-gyeom, Army Chief of Staff Park Jeong-hwan, Navy Chief of Staff Lee Jong-ho, Air Force Chief of Staff Jeong Sang-hwa, Deputy Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command Ahn Byung-seok, Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan, U.S. Forces Korea Deputy Commander Scott Pleus, President of the Korean War Veterans Association Son Hee-won, and President of the Veterans Association Shin Sang-tae.

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a commemorative speech at the 67th Memorial Day Ceremony held on the morning of June 6, 2022, at the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]