'Security and economy are one,' Yoon stresses during Chuseok break

Politics

Published: 02 Oct. 2023, 17:17 Updated: 02 Oct. 2023, 18:37

'Security and economy are one,' Yoon stresses during Chuseok break

President Yoon Suk Yeol looks toward North Korea through a barbed-wire fence during a visit to the Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Yeoncheo County, Gyeonggi, on Sunday to mark the 75th Armed Forces Day during the Chuseok holiday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed the importance of security in improving people's livelihood and economic growth over the Chuseok holiday, meeting with troops, atomic bomb victims, police officers and firefighters.

Marking Armed Forces Day on Sunday, Yoon visited front line units near the North Korean border and stressed, "When the military protects national security with great strength, the people can have trust and engage in economic activities, create jobs and grow."

Yoon visited the Army's 25th Infantry Division headquarters in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi, touring the observatory and the general outpost to check their security posture, according to the presidential office. He inspected a North Korean military outpost using a telescope.

In the case of North Korean drone incursions, Yoon further front line troops, "Do not hesitate even for a second to respond."

Yoon stressed that "security and the economy are one," giving thanks to troops protecting the country even during the holiday.

"Please keep in mind that your dedication at the front line of security is the shortcut to boosting our economy and industries," Yoon said.

He noted that the 25th Infantry Division was established in 1953, right after the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, and has successfully carried out more than 30 counterespionage operations. He said that the division also operates the Army's Tiger Demonstration Brigade, responsible for command-and-control operations, which plays a "leading role in national defense innovation."

He also met with soldiers at the barracks cafeteria to give words of encouragement.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, makes a video call with families of soldiers during a visit to the Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi, on Sunday to mark the 75th Armed Forces Day during the Chuseok holiday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Yoon brought Chuseok treats for the troops, including tteokgalbi (short-rib patties), assorted jeon (Korean pancakes) and songpyeon (moon-shaped Korean traditional rice cake), as well as chicken and pizza, standing favorites of the soldiers.

Yoon later made a surprise visit to the soldiers' dormitory and inspected the condition of the living quarters, including beds and blankets.

The South Korean government celebrated the 75th Armed Forces Day with a commemoration ceremony and large-scale military parade, both attended by Yoon, last Tuesday, showcasing its latest military hardware including its Hyunmoo surface-to-surface missiles and thousands of troops.

On Thursday, the first day of the extended six-day Chuseok holiday which runs to Tuesday, Yoon visited the Korean Air cargo terminal at Incheon International Airport and expressed his gratitude to cargo workers for their part as the "forefront of the logistics industry," contributing to the country's exports.

During this visit, Yoon boarded a cargo plane bound for Tokyo and received a briefing on its operation plan from the captain, and the president told the cargo workers that they are "supporting the economic growth of our country."

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and first lady Kim Keon Hee, second from right, speak with survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and their family members during a luncheon meeting hosted at the Blue House state guesthouse in central Seoul on Friday, marking the Chuseok harvest festival. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

To mark the Chuseok harvest festival on Friday, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee invited a group of survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima to the Blue House Yeongbingwan state guesthouse for a luncheon gathering.

The meeting with 42 atomic bombing victims and family members from Japan and 43 others from Korea followed Yoon's meeting with Korean survivors of the atomic bombing during his visit to Hiroshima in May for the Group of Seven summit.

Yoon became the first Korean president to meet with Korean victims of the atomic bombings in Japan at the end of World War II. He invited the survivors and their families to visit their homeland in the near future during this meeting.

The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and another one on Nagasaki three days later.

"It took 78 years for the government to host you," Yoon said in his welcome remarks Friday. "I would like to apologize once again for being too late."

He recalled that tens of thousands of Koreans lost their lives and homes due to the atomic bombing, which happened during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, noting that the "sadness and pain must have been even greater because it was a loss suffered while living in a foreign country during the colonial era."

Yoon said he is "well aware that long-running difficulties in South Korea-Japan relations have made your lives difficult," stressing that the government "will never again turn a blind eye to your pain."

He said he will make his utmost efforts to advance the South Korea-Japan relationship in a "future-oriented way" and take care of Koreans residing in Japan.

"Our government will promote peace and prosperity in the region and around the world by cooperating with Japan, our closest neighbor, which shares the universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law," Yoon said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, observes police officers’ shooting training at the Seoul Jungbu Police Station on Saturday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

On Saturday, Yoon visited the Seoul Jungbu Police Station and Seoul Jungbu Fire Station and expressed appreciation for their services in maintaining public safety.

Yoon pledged to police that he will work to improve the working conditions of field officers.

"People who obstruct public order have to be severely punished," Yoon said. "Only when there is a law can people's human rights be protected through law enforcement capabilities."

On Monday, Yoon marked the 27th Senior Citizen's Day with a Facebook post that read, "We will never forget the dedication of our elders who protected the Republic of Korea from communist forces and laid the foundation for growth based on liberal democracy and the market economy."

He added that the "freedom and prosperity we enjoy today are thanks to the blood and sweat of our elders."

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and first lady Kim Keon Hee, dressed in hanbok, deliver their Chuseok holiday greetings to the public in a video message released by the presidential office on Thursday, the first day of the six-day break. They expressed gratitude to soldiers, police officers, firefighters and sanitation workers who are carrying out their duties even during the extended holiday which runs to Tuesday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]