MB Shows Tears While Paying Tribute at Cheonan Ship Memorial "Such Incidents Must Not Happen"

"I vow to visit every year. I came to keep my promise."

Former President Lee Myung-bak honored the fallen heroes of the Cheonan ship sinking incident on the eve of its 14th anniversary. On that day, the former president visited the National Daejeon Cemetery in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, paid respects at the Memorial Tower, and then visited the gravesite of the 46 Cheonan heroes and the gravesite of the late Lieutenant Han Joo-ho.

The Cheonan ship sinking incident occurred on March 26, 2010, when the ROK Navy’s 2nd Fleet’s Cheonan (PCC-772), performing a patrol mission 2.5 km southwest off Baengnyeongdo, was sunk by a surprise torpedo attack from a North Korean submarine, resulting in the deaths of 46 out of 104 crew members and the rescue of 58.

After paying respects at Lieutenant Han Joo-ho’s gravesite, he became emotional. In the guestbook, he wrote, "We will never forget the patriotism and noble sacrifice of the 46 Cheonan heroes."

Former President Lee Myung-bak visited the Cheonan Ship 46 Warriors' Cemetery at the National Daejeon National Cemetery on the morning of the 25th. After paying respects, he wiped his eyes while checking around the tombstone.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

After visiting the Cheonan heroes’ gravesite, former President Lee, along with Hwang Won-chae, director of the National Daejeon Cemetery, checked each tombstone of the fallen heroes. Hearing updates about the families of the heroes from Director Hwang, former President Lee gently touched the tombstones and asked, "This person had many children. Are the children doing well now?" He then muttered to himself, "So many of our soldiers sacrificed their lives, and yet some call this a fabrication..."

At the gravesite of the late Lieutenant Han Joo-ho, former President Lee expressed sorrow, saying, "Lieutenant Han’s face is vivid in my mind. I saw him during the operation... This must never happen again."

In front of the graves of the late Corporal Seo Jeong-wook and Private Moon Gwang-wook, who died in the Yeonpyeong Island shelling, he said, "They could have just taken leave, but they chose to protect the country... admirable," while gently touching the tombstones.

Moving through the gravesites with officials from the Lee Myung-bak administration, he also mentioned youth issues and the birthrate problem. He said, "Adults may think the country is doing well enough not to worry, but young people have many concerns of their own," emphasizing again the need for mutual understanding and harmony.

Those who accompanied the visit included former presidential secretaries Jeong Jeong-gil and Ha Geum-yeol, former special minister Lee Jae-oh, former Minister of Justice Kim Kyung-han, former Minister of Unification Hyun In-taek, former Blue House Political Secretary Kim Hyo-jae, former Blue House Public Relations Secretary Hong Sang-pyo, and former Blue House General Planning Officer Jang Da-sa-ro.

Earlier, during his presidency, Lee Myung-bak promised never to forget the noble sacrifice of soldiers who died in North Korea’s armed provocations in 2010 and vowed to visit the graves of the fallen every year until unification. He visited the National Daejeon Cemetery annually both during his term and after his retirement in 2013.

During his imprisonment from 2018 to 2022, officials from the Lee Myung-bak administration paid respects on his behalf. After his pardon in December 2022, he visited the cemetery as his first official schedule last year.