63rd Memorial Day ceremony

제63회 현충일 추념식 거행

A special ceremony was held a couple of hours ago at the Daejeon National Cemetery... to mark June 6th South Korea's Memorial Day.
Thousands were present to remember the sacrifices of national heroes including soldiers and martyrs.
Let's go straight to our Hong Yoo, standing by at Daejeon National Cemetery.
Do tell us more about the significance of this very important day and all that went on during the ceremony?

Well Daniel, for Koreans around the world, Memorial Day is a day of great significance.
Thousands of people gathered here at Daejeon National Cemetery to pay silent tribute to soldiers and patriotic Martyrs who went through pain and struggle, sacrificing themselves for the nation.

Here lies more than 120 thousand people, from firefighters to civil servants, Dokdo volunteer soldiers, and other patriots.
At this 63rd Memorial Day ceremony, President Moon Jae-in and the leadership of the ruling and opposition parties were present.
It's been 19 years since a memorial ceremony was last held at Daejeon National Cemetery in 1999.
The choice of this year's venue was the government's decision to show that they will be taking care of everyone who has made sacrifices for the country, no matter what their field.
The title of the ceremony is "428030, In the Name of the Republic of Korea, We Will Remember You".
The number 428030 is the number of patriots buried around the nation in national cemeteries and parks.
The ceremony started by paying respect in front of the gravestone of a soldier who died at the Battle of Yanggu and who does not have any relatives alive. That was followed by a silent tribute that began with a siren and an artillery salute.
Then, the national anthem and a memorial song were sang by the singer Choi Baek-ho and other celebrities who are serving their military duty.
And the ceremony ended with a memorial ceremony for the three firefighters who lost their lives on duty last March.
I will bring you more details on the event later on.
Back to you Daniel.