ID :
67536
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 17:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/67536
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea, U.S., N. Korea summon memories of Korean War, renew animosity
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- Evoking memories of the Korean War that broke out on June 25 nearly six decades ago, top South Korean and U.S. defense officials on Wednesday praised soldiers who died in the conflict while fighting against the "tyranny" of North Korea.
North Korea -- which conducted its second nuclear test last month and has
scrapped the truce that halted the 1950-53 conflict -- called the U.S. a "war
criminal" and accused it of pushing for another war.
"A North Korean victory in the Korean War would have brought the nightmare of
tyranny to this great land, thrusting the citizens of the Republic of Korea into
a darkness that their northern counterparts have yet to emerge from," U.S. Gen.
Walter Sharp said in a speech.
The Republic of Korea is the official title of South Korea, which fought the
North with the help of U.S.-led U.N. forces.
Sharp, who commands the 28,500 American soldiers stationed here as a deterrent
against North Korea, was speaking at a ceremony honoring a U.N. troop killed in
the war, whose remains are being repatriated.
"Thanks to the sacrifices of U.N. soldiers from 21 nations, the Republic of Korea
was able to defend its democracy and freedom and achieve the success it enjoys
today," South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said in a separate speech.
Lee deplored the fact that about 130,000 South Korean and 58,000 U.N. soldiers
remain unaccounted for from the Korean War, pledging to make efforts "until the
last one is found and returned home."
Sharp echoed those sentiments, saying, "Often referred to as the Forgotten War,
those who were here, those who fought on the hills that surround us, those
remains we recognize on the field today will never be forgotten."
In a commentary blaming the U.S. for the outbreak of the Korean War, the North's
official Korean Central News Agency said the U.S. is trying to smother its regime
by imposing stronger sanctions against it.
"Half a century has passed since the Korean War ended, but the U.S., the war
criminal, and its sins remain vividly in the memories of the North Korean
people," it said.
Calling the U.N. sanctions for its May 25 nuclear test "another vile product of
the international pressure led by the United States," the North vowed revenge and
accused the U.S. of harboring invasion plans.
"The U.S. today is recklessly rampaging to prepare for another Korean War," it
said, saying the U.S. is drawing "an all-out confrontation" from the North by
trying to trample on its people.
SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- Evoking memories of the Korean War that broke out on June 25 nearly six decades ago, top South Korean and U.S. defense officials on Wednesday praised soldiers who died in the conflict while fighting against the "tyranny" of North Korea.
North Korea -- which conducted its second nuclear test last month and has
scrapped the truce that halted the 1950-53 conflict -- called the U.S. a "war
criminal" and accused it of pushing for another war.
"A North Korean victory in the Korean War would have brought the nightmare of
tyranny to this great land, thrusting the citizens of the Republic of Korea into
a darkness that their northern counterparts have yet to emerge from," U.S. Gen.
Walter Sharp said in a speech.
The Republic of Korea is the official title of South Korea, which fought the
North with the help of U.S.-led U.N. forces.
Sharp, who commands the 28,500 American soldiers stationed here as a deterrent
against North Korea, was speaking at a ceremony honoring a U.N. troop killed in
the war, whose remains are being repatriated.
"Thanks to the sacrifices of U.N. soldiers from 21 nations, the Republic of Korea
was able to defend its democracy and freedom and achieve the success it enjoys
today," South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said in a separate speech.
Lee deplored the fact that about 130,000 South Korean and 58,000 U.N. soldiers
remain unaccounted for from the Korean War, pledging to make efforts "until the
last one is found and returned home."
Sharp echoed those sentiments, saying, "Often referred to as the Forgotten War,
those who were here, those who fought on the hills that surround us, those
remains we recognize on the field today will never be forgotten."
In a commentary blaming the U.S. for the outbreak of the Korean War, the North's
official Korean Central News Agency said the U.S. is trying to smother its regime
by imposing stronger sanctions against it.
"Half a century has passed since the Korean War ended, but the U.S., the war
criminal, and its sins remain vividly in the memories of the North Korean
people," it said.
Calling the U.N. sanctions for its May 25 nuclear test "another vile product of
the international pressure led by the United States," the North vowed revenge and
accused the U.S. of harboring invasion plans.
"The U.S. today is recklessly rampaging to prepare for another Korean War," it
said, saying the U.S. is drawing "an all-out confrontation" from the North by
trying to trample on its people.
