제 63회 현충일 추념식 국립대전현충원에서 진행
Today June 6th, is South Korea's Memorial Day, and a ceremony was held this morning at Daejeon National Cemetery.
Thousands of people were present to remember the sacrifice that soldiers and patriotic martyrs made for the country.
Our Hong Yoo reports on the details of the memorial ceremony. With a sound of a siren and a 21-gun artillery salute, Koreans observed a moment of silence to pay tribute to the fallen heroes who had sacrificed their lives for the nation.
This year's memorial ceremony was held at Daejeon National Cemetery for the first time in 19 years-- the last time being 1999.
The government chose the cemetery as location for the 63rd Memorial Day ceremony to show that it aims to take care of everyone who has died for the nation, no matter what their field.
Daejeon National Cemetery is the final resting place of people from a wide range of fields, from firefighters and civil servants to Dokdo volunteer soldiers and other patriots.
I was serving my military duty during the Battle of Yeonpyeong. So I come here every year to pay silent tribute to my comrades who died on duty.
I came for volunteer work. I thought it would be a significant occasion to volunteer for because memorial day is a day to remember those who sacrificed their lives for us.
Over 120 thousand martyrs, patriots and prominent figures, including one former president, have been buried at the Daejeon National Cemetery, which was established in 1979.
After some performances to commemorate Memorial day, a special memorial ceremony took place this year for the three firefighters who died while on duty last March.
This year's ceremony was titled "428030, In the Name of Republic of Korea, We Will Remember You". The number 428030 represents the total number of fallen heroes buried in the all ten national cemeteries across the country. And like that title, today Koreans remember that the freedom they sometimes take for granted could never have been realized without the sacrifices of the fallen heroes who came before them.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News, Daejeon.
