Gyeongbuk Superintendent Lim Jongsik: "We Must Deeply Engrave the Noble Sacrifice of Student Soldiers Who Took Up Arms in School Uniforms"

Memorial Ceremony for the Fallen Student Volunteer Army
"Our Collective Responsibility to Safeguard Peace"

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jongsik) held the '2025 Memorial Ceremony for the Fallen Student Volunteer Army' on June 14 at the Yeongdeok Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Memorial Park.

This event was organized to honor the historical significance embedded in the horrors of the Korean War and the postwar recovery process. It also served as an integrated educational platform where generations who directly experienced the war and those who did not could come together to reflect on the value of national defense and the importance of peace.

Lim Jongsik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Education Office, is delivering a commemorative speech for the Student Volunteer Army at the Yeongdeok Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Memorial Park.

Approximately 800 people participated in the event, including six surviving members of the Student Volunteer Army, students and parents from the Gyeongbuk region, faculty and staff, war veterans, and families of those who served. This meaningful occasion helped bridge the gap in empathy and historical awareness between generations.

On this day, the memorial ceremony for the fallen Student Volunteer Army was solemnly held in front of the Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Monument to honor the spirits of those who fought in the Korean War.

The ceremony began with the entrance of JROTC students and continued with the national pledge, floral tribute, moment of silence, a commemorative speech by the Superintendent, a memorial performance, and a group photo session.

In his commemorative speech, Lim Jongsik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Education Office, said, "The noble sacrifice of the student soldiers who donned school uniforms and took up arms for the nation deeply resonates with those of us living today," and emphasized, "It is our collective responsibility to engrave that spirit in our hearts and to safeguard peace."

The subsequent memorial performance, the musical 'Courage of 1950, Pledge of 2025,' was based on the true stories of student soldiers who participated in the Jangsa Landing Operation. The performance delivered both inspiration and important lessons to the audience, leaving a lasting impression.

This event was significant not only as a simple commemoration and tribute, but also as a form of 'living education for unification and peace,' planned and led by students themselves.

After the ceremony, a peace and unification experience booth was operated within the Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Memorial Park.

At the experience booths prepared by six middle and high schools designated as leading schools for unification clubs, a variety of creative activities tailored to students' perspectives were offered. These included making paper umbrellas wishing for unification, designing unification-themed mugs, crafting mug cup bracelets, decorating Korean Peninsula keyrings and eco-bags, and participating in unification quizzes through games. Participants naturally developed interest in and a sense of responsibility for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula through these diverse experiences.

An official from the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, who oversaw the event, evaluated it as "a living education that naturally instilled the value of peace in students by allowing them to walk the site, experience it firsthand, and learn history."

Lim Jongsik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Education Office, stated, "Encountering the history of war on site is a profound educational experience that goes beyond what can be learned in the classroom," and added, "The Gyeongbuk Office of Education will continue to do its utmost to ensure that students grow into individuals with a correct understanding of history and global citizenship through field-based and hands-on patriotic education."