Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

In June, the Ministry of National Defense will host a national event to commemorate patriots and veterans

Ministry to set the week of patriots and security to check combat readiness,

to visit Korean War veterans to have an appreciation party,

to hold a military band concert at the War Memorial of Korea, and

to conduct a number of campaigns, such as hoisting the national flag (Taegukki) and wearing a big tree badge

To mark the month of patriots and veterans in June, the Ministry of National Defense is pushing forward with a meaningful event to remember the noble sacrifices of patriots and veterans. Significantly, the ministry plans to take the lead in encouraging the memory of the contributions and sacrifices of patriots and veterans to be honored by all people by focusing on hosting a cultural event for patriots and veterans to urge national participation and unity.

“We are promoting an event to commemorate the month of patriots and veterans based on the theme ’We keep your noble sacrifice in our minds.’ We believe that this will contribute to building peace and prosperity across the nation, as well as recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, by standing on the support of their noble patriotism,” the ministry said in a statement on June 10.

The event to commemorate the month of patriots and veterans delivers three key messages; commemoration·remembrance, honorable treatment·appreciation, and national participation·unity.

In terms of meaning and main events of each message, ‘commemoration·remembrance’ encourages the people to commemorate the patriotic martyrs and the deceased patriots who sacrificed and devoted themselves to defending the country, and inspires people’s patriotism by remembering their noble contributions. Following the week of patriots and security, from May 31 through June 6, to better deliver this meaning, the ministry decided to set another week of patriots and veterans, from June 21 through June 25, to focus on spiritual power training for soldiers, while checking combat and mobilization readiness.

‘Honorable treatment·appreciation’ encourages the people to pay respect to the sacrifices and devotions of those who made the Republic of Korea what it is today, and spreads the sentiment of honorable treatment in the community. The ministry has a plan to hold various events, including a party in appreciation for the Korean War veterans, offering nameplates for the bereaved families of patriots and veterans, offering consolation visits to the veterans hospital, and an event to express gratitude to war veterans, in order to remind the people of the significance of honorable treatment and appreciation.

‘Participation·unity’ serves as a reminder of national unity by holding various events to experience the veterans' situation. In keeping with the message, the ministry will host various patriot and veterans culture events to encourage the people to join. The flagship event is a military band concert for patriots and veterans that will be held at the multicultural platform of the War Memorial of Korea from June 22 through July 1. An open concert, it will be held once to twice a day for 20 minutes on an informal basis. During the concert, songs to recall the significance of patriots and veterans will be played.

The campaigns also include hoisting the national flag (Taegukki). To join the campaign, people can hoist the Taegukki at any buildings with flagpoles installed or at home for 24 hours from June 21 through June 25. The ministry plans to promote the campaign and encourage the people to join it through various activities. The ministry will also push a ‘campaign to recall Korean War heroes using milk cartons,’ an exhibition of photos of Korean War heroes and Korean troops, a virtual reality (VR) contents experience zone, and a campaign to wear a big tree badge of patriotism.

“The events to mark the month of patriots and veterans will be held to remind the people of the noble sacrifices of patriots and veterans, so that they do not forget our gratitude to them. The military will do its best to hold the events successfully, following social distancing rules and unit management guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the ministry said in a statement.

By Chae-Mu, Im <lims86@dema.mil.kr >

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