President Lee welcomes U.S. designation of Korean Armistice Day

SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday welcomed the designation of a Korean War armistice day in the United States as a recognition of U.S. veterans' sacrifice to the defense of South Korea and a celebration of their nations' alliance.

"I welcome the establishment of the National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day,
which will commemorate the valuable sacrifice of U.S. veterans in the Korean War,
and I would like to once again express our country's deep gratitude for their
sacrifice and dedication," Lee said, according to presidential spokeswoman Kim
Eun-hye.
Over 40,000 U.S. soldiers were killed or went missing during the war, in which
some 480,000 American troops fought as part of a 16-nation U.N. command against
North Korea's invasion. Washington continues to station over 28,500 troops here
as a deterrent against conflicts on the Korean Peninsula.
The Korean War Veterans Recognition Act, signed by U.S. President Barack Obama on
Tuesday (Washington time), adds July 27 to the list of days on which the display
of the U.S. flag at half mast is encouraged nationwide.
The date is when the Korean armistice was signed in 1953, effectively ending the
three-year war. South and North Korea, however, still remain technically at war
as the armistice has yet to be replaced by a permanent peace treaty.
South Korea plans to invite some 3,000 Korean War veterans from the 16 U.N.
countries that fought next year, the 60th anniversary of the start of the war.
"The United States' Korean armistice day is a clear display of their wide support
for and interest in the Korea-U.S. alliance. Our government will also continue to
expand our efforts to commemorate the high and noble devotion of the Korean War
veterans," President Lee said.