Pre. Park urges N. Korea to abandon provocations and nuclear program on Cheonan anniversary

Pre. Park urges N. Korea to abandon provocations and nuclear program on Cheonan anniversary. March. 27, 2015 07:20. egija@donga.com.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye strongly called for change in North Korea’s stance by saying, “I hope North Korea abandons its reckless provocations and belief that nuclear weapons can protect it.”

In a ceremony at the Daejeon National Cemetery to mark the fifth anniversary of the sinking of South Korean naval corvette Cheonan by the North`s torpedo attack, President Park said, “We can honor the sacrifices of the Cheonan`s sailors by establishing a unified country, where both South and North Koreans are happy, is the way.”

“Developing our nation, which the sailors of Cheonan and patriotic martyrs protected with blood and sweat, into a more powerful and peaceful country is the historical duty given to us. When we fulfill the grave task of economic revival and national reform, the historical duty will also be fulfilled,” said the President. Park also renewed her commitment to strengthen the nation`s defensive capacity and maintain war deterrence, based on the ROK-U.S. alliance, to prevent another tragedy like the sinking of the warship.

“The patriotic martyr Ahn Joong-geun, who died for our country today 105 years ago, left a hand-written statement in the prison that it is hard to achieve a great work without looking far ahead. Even though unification doesn’t come true overnight, we must believe the two Koreas will surely be unified in the future and prepare for it in a steady manner,” said Park.

On the issue of corruption in the defense industry, the commander-in-chief said, “It (corruption in the defense industry) is humiliating and deplorable in front of heroic souls of the Cheonan sailors. The government will eradicate corruption in the defense industry and never allow such an unpatriotic acts to take root in Korea.”

Before the ceremony, President Park met with the widow of the late Master Chief Petty Officer Kim Tae-seok and gave words of consolation, saying, “I understand you must have been through great sorrow. We will never forget the sailors’ sacrifice and devotion. The government will take good care of the bereaved families in the future.” Park also comforted a daughter of the late Senior Chief Petty Officer Kim Kyeong-soo by saying, “If there is any difficulty in your life, let me know. I wish you grow into a great adult, thinking and being proud of your father’s sacrifice to the nation.”

The government will not hold a ceremony any more to mark the anniversary of the warship sinking after this ceremony. It is in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of National Defense to stop convening official ceremonies led by the government after five years of an incident. However, whether to hold the memorial ceremonies in the future will come under the spotlight as the bereaved families and the opposition party leadership have raised issues.