South Korean President Lee Jae-myung Pledges Efforts to Restore Honor of Korean War Civilian Victims
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has pledged to undertake comprehensive efforts to restore the honor of civilians who were killed due to state violence around the 1950-53 Korean War. Speaking at a joint memorial service for civilian victims held at Seoul City Hall, President Lee emphasized that it is the state's duty to uncover the truth, identify victims, and redress past wrongs. His message, read by his secretary for social cohesion Jeon Seong-hwan, highlighted the need to shed light on historical truths that were previously suppressed. The pledge includes intensified efforts to excavate the remains of victims, identify them for return to their families, and promptly construct a memorial facility in Daejeon. This initiative follows historical incidents such as the Nogeun-ri massacre in 1950, where U.S. troops fired on South Korean refugees, and the subsequent establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2005 to investigate such cases.
