SOUTH KOREA: KOREAN WAR VETERANS WRAP
(25 Jun 2000) English/Nat XFA South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has urged his armed forces to remain alert, despite moves toward reconciliation with communist North Korea. He made the comments while addressing thousands of military veterans on the 50th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. In Sunday's speech at the War Memorial Museum, Kim warned that reuniting the Korean Peninsula would require vigilance as well as generosity. The 75-year-old told his audience that until unification was actually fully achieved and a firm guarantee of peace arranged, the South could not afford to relax. President Kim also reiterated points of understanding that he reached with his North Korean counterpart at the historic 13-15 June summit in Pyongyang. He said they included his belief that U-S troops deployed in South Korea should remain on the peninsula even after unification to maintain the balance of power in Northeast Asia. Kim's words of caution - which were televised nationally - came amid elation over the summit in which the two presidents agreed to work toward reunification and end decades of animosity in the wake of their fratricidal war. North Korea launched the 1950-53 war by invading the South in an attempt to reunify the peninsula. The Cold War conflict, which left up to five (M) million people dead, wounded and missing, ended without a permanent peace treaty and the two Koreas have been locked in a tense standoff ever since. SOUNDBITE: (Korean) \"There should not be another war within the Korean people. But instead we should pursue co -existence and co-prosperity through harmony and cooperation. Eventually, we have to achieve peaceful unification. This is the call of history for us. Until unification is actually fully achieved and a firm guarantee of peace is arranged, we cannot afford to relax. Firm security can be guaranteed only though tight defense posture.\" SUPER CAPTION: Kim Dae-Jung, South Korean President SOUNDBITE: (Korean) \"On the day when Chinese troops started attacking us using a human wave offensive, we fought back and succeeded in recapturing the hill. The next day we found out that from the battle there was a great deal of Chinese casualties, as well as Koreans.\" SUPER CAPTION: Lee Jong-Ik, Korean War Veteran SOUNDBITE: (English) \"Our most significant combat took place at No Gun Ri, where we lost many many many crew and a number of our crew were captured and died in prison camps. Others did repatriate home, but we lost a lot of people.\" SUPER CAPTION: Robert Greer, U-S War Veteran SOUNDBITE: (English) \"Look at Korea and see what a marvellous democratic country it is. That's our reward.\" SUPER CAPTION: Robert Greer, U-S War Veteran SOUNDBITE: (English) \"When countries have been at war for 50 years and they are concentrating on peace rather than war then I would think doves and olive leaves are a little more important than parades and display of military power.\" SUPER CAPTION: Charles Rangel, U-S Veteran and Congressman Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
