UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | SEOUL, August 13, 2026 — President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung hosted a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae on August 13 for approximately 180 national merit recipients and veterans' families, conveying the state's respect and gratitude to those who have sacrificed and dedicated themselves to the nation across successive generations.

The gathering brought together a broad cross-section of those honoured under Korea's national merit system, including independence activists and their bereaved families, descendants of overseas independence activists, families of soldiers and firefighters who died in the line of duty, bereaved families of those who fell defending the West Sea, war veterans, and participants in the democratisation movement.

"A Single History That Built Today's Republic of Korea"

The event proceeded under the slogan "The Republic of Korea You Defended, We Will Make Her Bloom," and included the screening of a gratitude video, a presentation of Taegeukgi badges, presidential remarks, a luncheon, and a closing performance. President Lee personally pinned Taegeukgi badges — designed to allow recipients to wear the national flag they have cherished, with their names engraved on the reverse — on representatives from the fields of independence, national defence, and democracy.

In his remarks, President Lee drew a unifying thread across Korea's modern history. "The histories of independence, national defence, and democracy are not separate histories, but a single history that has built today's Republic of Korea," he said. "Although the eras to be defended were different and the forms of sacrifice varied, the will to protect the Republic of Korea and build a better country was one and the same."

He expressed particular gratitude to the descendants of independence activists who have carried on their ancestors' spirit from distant foreign lands, the parents of soldiers and police officers who lost their children in the line of duty, and those who participated in and documented the democratisation movement.

Special Compensation for Special Sacrifices

President Lee outlined the steps his administration has taken over the past year to strengthen support for national merit recipients, including expanding the scope and eligibility of compensation, enhancing medical support, and developing what he described as veterans' diplomacy. He framed these efforts under the principle of "special compensation for special sacrifices."

He added a pointed remark on the non-partisan nature of the commitment: "There can be no distinction between progressives and conservatives when it comes to repaying the noble devotion of those who risked their lives for the motherland."

President Lee closed with a direct pledge to those in attendance: "I will do my utmost to ensure that the Republic of Korea of today, achieved through the sacrifice and dedication of national merit recipients and their families, can make a greater leap forward as a shining nation in the world. I will fulfil the state's responsibilities and duties to ensure there is no lack in protecting your honour and lives."

Voices from the Luncheon Table

Representatives of attendees responded with expressions of gratitude and personal reflections. Lee Jong-chan, President of the Korea Liberation Association; Park Geon-yong, President of the Association of Widows of Fallen Soldiers; and Yang Jae-hyuk, President of the 5·18 Bereaved Families Association each expressed their appreciation to the President and offered wishes for the well-being of all those gathered.

During the luncheon, at President Lee's suggestion, attendees shared personal stories. Jo Hyun-yi, great-granddaughter of independence activist Jo Wi-dae, reflected that veterans' affairs are "not history confined to the past, but a value that lives and breathes within our lives today," and described her first responsibility as a young descendant as ensuring that the freedom her ancestors defended is never forgotten.

Kwon Hyun-ju, head coach of the Para Archery National Team and a Grade 1 disabled veteran, spoke of the difficult years she endured before finding renewed purpose through participation in the 2023 Invictus Games in Germany. She expressed her hope that more disabled veterans would step out into the world and that the public would pay closer attention to the lives of those injured in service to the nation.

Ju So-yeon, whose diary written during the May 18 Gwangju Democratisation Movement as a high school senior was inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register, recounted living for fifteen years in silence — branded a rioter — until the events were officially recognised as a democratisation movement. She described her resolve to make the facts known so that the truth would not be distorted.