Attending the 60th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for Former President Syngman Rhee
At the memorial ceremony for the 60th anniversary of former President Syngman Rhee's death held on the 19th at the National Cemetery Memorial Hall in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, former Prime Minister Chung Unchan, Kim Hwangsik, chairman of the Syngman Rhee Founding President Memorial Association, and Kim Moonsoo, standing advisor, are saluting the national flag. Photo by Yonhap News
"If President Syngman Rhee were alive, there would not be such a powerless 'xiexie (謝謝·thank you)' diplomacy."
On the 19th, former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moonsoo made this remark regarding President Lee Jaemyung's so-called 'xiexie (謝謝·thank you)' comment during his presidential candidacy.
On this day, at the 60th anniversary memorial ceremony for former President Syngman Rhee held at the National Seoul Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Kim stated, "Since 2018, China has been installing numerous large-scale structures without authorization in the provisional measures zone between Korea and China, but our government has neither strongly raised the issue nor managed to resolve it."
He continued, "Currently, the South Korea-U.S. alliance is facing difficulties due to U.S. tariff issues and the cost-sharing for U.S. Forces Korea," and pointed out, "The government is calling for self-reliant national defense and prioritizing peace without even preparing a plan for our military to respond alone to North Korea's nuclear missile threat in the absence of the United States."
He added, "Many people are concerned about reports that, even though a summit with President Trump has yet to be held, the government is pushing ahead with the transfer of wartime operational control of U.S. Forces Korea."
He also said, "Thanks to the South Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty, which President Syngman Rhee risked his life to sign, peace has been maintained on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia for over 70 years," and, "It was the firm war deterrence guaranteed by the South Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty that made South Korea's economic miracle and political democratization possible."
Kim further stated, "Now that the South Korea-U.S. military alliance is wavering, and at a time when tariff issues are overwhelming, I miss a diplomatic president who held sway over American political and government circles."
Previously, on the 15th, when the Innovation Committee announced it would issue an apology for attempts to forcibly unify presidential candidates and adopt a provision to break with past wrongdoings as the first innovation agenda item in the party constitution and regulations, he commented, "I will need to see specifically what kind of apology is being proposed and how it will be made."
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