Never forget

Fifty-eight years ago, North Korea invaded South Korea. After three years of fighting, Korean Peninsula lay in ashes. The culprit was North Korea.

However, according to a recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, only 48.7 percent of teenagers polled know that North Korea started the war.

For our nation to grow, we have to consider the results of the survey carefully.

Some might ask, why we do we have to remember the Korean War in a time of peace? But that is a dangerous question.

Countries that emphasize security and prosperity never forget wars they were involved in.

The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

These countries have erected statues in towns and villages to honor fallen soldiers.

Australia and New Zealand, two countries considered the least likely to be invaded, mark Anzac Day to honor their soldiers who fought in World War I.

South Korean teenagers not knowing who attacked our country is like Americans not knowing who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

It is like Israelis not knowing that the Nazis killed six million Jews during World War II.

The nation’s progressive party has tried over the past 10 years to make South Korean teenagers not care about national security and history.

The central government did its utmost to hold summit meetings with its counterparts in the North, but it did not raise public awareness about the Korean War.

The government sat back for a decade and did nothing, while progressives launched attacks on a statue of General Douglas MacArthur, who helped save South Korea from defeat.

Korean films such as “Taegukgi” and “Welcome to Dongmakgol” have also blurred history, glossing over who exactly started the war in the first place.

Of course, we have to let go of our memories of the Korean War. South Korea has risen from the ashes of the war to become the world’s 13th biggest economy and it is trying to mend relations with the North.

But we should never forget the Korean War. The United States, the world’s powerhouse, remembers the American Revolutionary War, the Korean War and Pearl Harbor.

Our memories must remain long.