▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) shakes hands with a Korean War veteran during a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War at a convention center in Gyeonggi Province on June 25, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ President Lee Jae Myung (C) attends a ceremony marking the 76th anniverary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War at a convention center in Gyeonggi Province on June 25, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) president-Korean War anniv

(LEAD) Lee vows to build peaceful Korean Peninsula free from fear of war

(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks, background from 4th para; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, June 25 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung pledged Thursday to establish a peaceful Korean Peninsula free from the fear of war as South Korea marks the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Lee made the pledge in his speech at a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, which was held in Gyeonggi Province and brought together hundreds of war veterans, and government and military officials.

"(The government) will safeguard the people and the territory through strong defense capabilities and build a peaceful Korean Peninsula which has neither fear of war nor a need for conflict," Lee said.

"I believe that doing so would be the surest reward we can give to the heroes who dedicated their lives and youth to defending this country," he said.

The president recalled the sacrifices of those from home and around the world who fought for the country during the Korean War, saying the government "will unwaveringly safeguard this great Republic of Korea built by heroes." The Republic of Korea is the official name of South Korea.

"Remembering and commemorating these heroes is the most important duty of the country and our community, and a clear obligation of the descendants who enjoy today's freedom, prosperity and peace," he said.

The president also noted that South Korea, which has grown from a recipient of international assistance into a donor, has an obligation to give back to the international community, vowing to expand invitation programs for overseas Korean War veterans.

During the ceremony, Lee also conferred national merits on three late and surviving Korean War veterans who, he said, had remained unrecognized for their contributions during the war.

The three-year civil war left hundreds of thousands of Korean and foreign soldiers killed and the Korean Peninsula divided into the capitalist South and the socialist North.

The war ended in 1953 with the signing of an armistice, leaving the peninsula technically at war for the nearly eight decades to date.

After the outbreak of the war, 16 foreign countries sent combat troops to fight on the South Korean side as United Nations forces.

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