President Lee delivers New Year`s message to military officers

(ATTN: UPDATES with Lee's telephone call to a South Korean unit in Somali waters,
additional remarks, details from 5th para)
SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak thanked the officer corps of
South Korea's 655,000-strong armed forces Friday in a New Year's message for
their leadership in defending the country against outside threats.
In the voice message delivered to the mobile phones of both commissioned and
non-commissioned officers, Lee said the military has played a key role in
allowing South Koreans to carry on with their lives without being troubled by
national security woes.
"The people have been able to move on with their livelihoods thanks to your
presence," Lee said, expressing gratitude to the officers and their families.
South Korea retains one of the largest militaries in the region, facing North
Korea's 1.2 million troops, as the sides remain technically at war after the
1950-53 Korean War.
The president also held a telephone conversation with troops aboard a South
Korean destroyer in the Gulf of Aden, fighting Somali pirates there.
He told the commander of the naval unit, Cheonghae, to help ensure the safety of
South Korean and foreign vessels in the area.
"Make sure to protect our vessels, as well as those of other countries, and
understand you are helping our country fulfill its duty to the international
community," the president told the unit commander, Navy Capt. Kim Myeong-seong.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)