SEOUL, South Korea’s new vice veterans minister vowed Monday to honor the sacrifice of veterans and patriots at the “highest level,” citing his personal experience in an inter-Korean naval skirmish in 2002.
Vice Veterans Affairs Minister Lee Hee-wan, a former Navy captain, was among 18 sailors who were wounded in the naval skirmish off South Korea’s western border island of Yeonpyeong in 2002. He lost his right leg after being hit by a North Korean shell during the fight.
The skirmish began with a surprise attack by North Korean patrol ships. It left six South Koreans killed, while some 30 North Koreans were presumed to have been killed or wounded, according to the South’s Navy.
“I have the personal experience of defending the Republic of Korea against the enemy and I shared the pain of my colleagues, who were sacrificed, and those of their families,” he said in an inauguration ceremony at the government complex in Sejong, 113 kilometers south of Seoul, referring to South Korea by its official name.
“By honoring the noble sacrifice of people of national merit at the highest level … I deeply understand the importance of rewarding patriotism.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency