Overview
- Lee Jae Myung, speaking at the 11th West Sea Defense Day ceremony Friday in Daejeon, honored 55 troops killed in Yellow Sea clashes and said lasting security rests on peace backed by strong defense.
- He recast the West Sea as a place for livelihoods and growth rather than confrontation and he did not explicitly mention North Korea in his remarks.
- Under a pledge of “special sacrifice, special compensation,” the government will expand veterans’ support with monthly living aid for qualifying spouses starting in May, a rise to 2,000 contracted medical facilities by 2030, and credit for mandatory service in public‑sector pay and seniority.
- It was his first time attending the ceremony as president, with military chiefs and party leaders present after he paid respects at graves of the fallen, including those from the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong attacks.
- The annual commemoration marks deaths in three incidents near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime boundary with the North: the 2002 Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, the 2010 sinking of the corvette Cheonan, and the 2010 shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.