PM Han honors U.S. soldiers fallen in Korean War in memorial park ceremony

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo commemorated American service members killed fighting for South Korea in the Korean War in a ceremony held Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-United States alliance, according to Han's office.

The ceremony was held at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, central Seoul, with the participation of key military figures from both sides, including Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and Lt. Gen. Willard M. Burleson, the commander of the Eighth U.S. Army, the office said in a press release.

The ceremony was also attended by South Korean military members who had participated in the 1950-53 civil war.

Before paying his respects, Han held a meeting with Burleson and thanked him for the sacrifices of some 1.79 million U.S. service members dispatched here to fend off North Korea's invasion, his office said.

The ceremony coincided with a visit to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) as part of Yoon's ongoing state visit.

Yoon and Biden each laid a wreath and silently bowed their heads as they paid tribute to the fallen Korean and American service members. First ladies Kim Keon Hee and Jill Biden stood closely behind them.

Of the dispatched U.S. service members, 33,686 were killed in action while some 8,000 others went missing, according data by the office.

khj@yna.co.kr
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