대통령 유공자 및 보훈가족 청와대 오찬 초청, '보훈은 나라다운 나라의 주춧돌'

Koreans celebrate Memorial Day tomorrow.
It's when the people honor those who died defending the country... as well as active military pesonnel.
On the eve of that special day, President Moon Jae-in invited hundreds of guests, relatives of the fallen heroes and those who are serving the nation to Cheongwadae.
Hwang Hojun starts us off with the highlights from that luncheon.
Two hundred and twenty-nine guests... with two hundred and twenty-nine different stories.
These officially recognized national heroes and their families were invited to the nation's top office for a luncheon hosted by the South Korean President himself.
Tuesday's event was held under the slogan, "We remember you in the name of the Republic of Korea."

"Veterans affairs are the cornerstone of uniting the hearts of the people and building a strong nation. It is my firm conviction as president that a country is only worthy of being called a country when citizens of merit and the families of our veterans can take pride in their service."

This was the second meeting of its kind since President Moon took office over a year ago.
The guests included the relatives of veterans of the 1950-to-53 Korean War, heroes of the pro-democracy movement, soldiers who died while defending the nation, and fallen firefighters.
But of course, it wasn't just military personnel who were honored.
The two teachers who died while rescuing the high school students onboard the Sewol-ho ferry in 2014, which according to the President was a task originally entrusted to the Coast Guard, were honored posthumously,... and are now officially recognized as military heroes killed in the line of duty.
President Moon stressed that it is the duty of the state to uphold and honor what it means to be a true educator.
During the event, the liberal leader first noted the changes he has tried to bring about regarding the way Korea's national heroes and their families are recognized. Such efforts include upgrading the former agency for patriots and veterans affairs to a government ministry in its own right, allocating nearly 1-point-nine billion U.S. dollars to compensate the veterans, increasing their war pensions to an all-time high, and boosting their medical care deduction rate from 60 percent to 90 percent.

President Moon said his administration will continue to ensure that patriotism is a core national value and that veterans are honored.
He insisted that every last hero needs to be recognized and paid his or her due respect,... and that any failure to do so cannot be blamed on a lack of funds or necessary regulations.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News.