President Yoon Seok-yeol is giving a greeting at the ‘Christmas of Dreams and Hopes with the Heroes Family’ event held at the Presidential Office Building in Yongsan, Seoul on the 22nd, inviting families of fallen soldiers, police officers, and firefighters. The person on the far left with a clenched fist is Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik./Newsis
On the 22nd, President Yoon Seok-yeol held a Christmas event by inviting the so-called ‘Heroes Family’, including children and spouses of soldiers, police, and firefighters who were killed in battle or in the line of duty, to the President’s Office.
On this day, President Yoon invited about 30 bereaved families of soldiers, police, and firefighters killed in action or killed in action for lunch at the Pinegrass Building in front of the Presidential Office Building in Yongsan, Seoul. The event included the late Fire Lieutenant Heo Seung-min, who died from injuries suffered while dispatching to prevent casualties from strong winds a day before Children’s Day in 2016, the late Sergeant Lee Tae-gyun, who died in an explosion during a K-9 self-propelled gun shooting training in 2017, and the Han River in 2020. Ten bereaved families of soldiers, police officers, and firefighters, including the late Inspector Yoo Jae-guk, who died while searching for missing people, attended. Since President Yoon’s inauguration, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has been operating the ‘Heroes Family’ program, where prominent figures in society serve as mentors and provide opportunities such as overseas trips to the children and spouses of public officials who sacrificed themselves for the country and society. It is said that this day’s event was also planned with the government’s sense of gratitude and respect for them.
President Yoon, who came to the event in casual attire, walked around tables decorated for Christmas, held the hands of bereaved children, and greeted them. President Yoon asked the children, “What grade are you in?” or “Your name tag is pretty” and “Is school life fun?” One child saw President Yoon and asked her mother, “President?”, causing laughter all around. President Yoon said, “I am happy to have the first Christmas event in the President’s Office with the Heroes Family,” and said he hopes for a new year full of dreams and hopes. President Yoon watched a children’s choir sing carols and perform a magic show with the bereaved families. During the card-hanging event containing the dreams of bereaved children, President Yoon gave a card to Yu I-hyeon, the son of Lieutenant Yoo Jae-guk, on his behalf. Lee Hyeon-gun was born prematurely after six months of pregnancy after Lieutenant Yoo’s wife was shocked by the news of her husband’s death in the line of duty and was born with spastic paralysis.
President Yoon told the children, “You are not alone. Please do not forget that there is a country that remembers your father and does not forget your family.” President Yoon said, “The country and the president will do a good job as your father,” and shouted “We can do it” with the attendees.
President Yoon introduced Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik, who was present at the event, to the children, saying, “Minister Park also had a father who was a soldier and died fighting for the country when he was young, but he worked hard and is now working for you as a minister.” “I ask you all to have your dreams and work hard,” he said. Minister Park’s father is the late Army Lieutenant Colonel Park Sun-yu, who fought in the Vietnam War and was killed in action.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that the ‘Heroes of Uniforms’ project, which provided new uniforms to veterans in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice this year, has been completed. This year, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs spent 4.3 billion won to deliver new uniforms, replacing the existing vest-type uniforms, to 36,000 veterans of the Korean War. This campaign, which began when President Yoon personally delivered new uniforms to veterans of the war at a luncheon for veterans and veterans’ families in June this year, received an excellence award at the ‘Design for Asia Awards’ (DFA) hosted by the Hong Kong Design Center. Minister of Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik said, “The uniform embodies the Korean government’s pledge to ‘never forget the sacrifice and dedication of heroes.’”
2023-12-22 06:56:15
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