[imText1]One of the four major South Korean heroes of the Korean War, General Paik Sun Yup, held a lecture for university students on Wednesday.
General Paik’s lecture was held at the War Memorial of Korea, attended by about 150 university students.
In his lecture, General Paik recalled, “This is the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. I never imagined I’d survive. I have always taken to heart the belief that every breath I take is a blessing born of the sacrifices of my fellow soldiers.”
Lecturing about the general flow of the Korean War and the wartime state, he emphasized, “South Koreans’ blood and sweat are what led to our achievement of ranking as the 12th economic power in the world. But dedicated old soldiers from elsewhere who fought in the Korean War and other battles of the 70s and 80s also made huge contributions.”
“The history of the alliance between South Korea and USA that has continued for 60 years is not a simple piece of diplomatic history. It is the history of a blood pledge, founded on the sacred sacrifice of 36,000 soldiers, 100,000 wounded soldiers and 8000 captured and missing soldiers.”
“It is true,” he said, “that popular awareness of security has loosened in the good name of the ‘sunshine policy’ over the last ten years of leftist government. It is fortunate that the current government is clearly aware of whom our main enemy is.”
“This is the cruel reality of our nation,” he went on. “But think about the Americans who still long for their husbands and sons who died in a foreign land during the Korean War. Think about disabled war veterans who still lie in their sickbeds because of injuries sustained during the Korean War. Regarding the U.S. as an enemy is not rational when you think of these people.”
During the question-and-answer session which followed the end of the lecture, a university student asked General Paik how he felt about the Cheonan incident. “I was not surprised at all,” he said. “‘Ever since Kim Il Sung took power, the North Korean regime has always been a hostile one. It is ready to launch an offensive at anytime. So when the Cheonan incident broke out, I thought to myself, ‘There they go again.’”
Answering another question about anti-American sentiment among university students, he repeated, “The U.S. is a country which came to the unknown land of Korea and sacrificed 150,000 soldiers one way or another to help our country. There may be conflicts of interest between the countries, but we should all be aware of the fact that the U.S. is certainly fulfilling its duty as an ally.”
After General Paik’s lecture, “University Students 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Promotion Committee,” the organizer, offered him a plaque: “Thank you. We will never forget you.”
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