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Lee honors fallen troops in Yellow Sea, vows to build peace via strong defense capabilities

Published: 27 Mar. 2026, 12:20

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon on March 27 during a ceremony to mark the 11th anniversary of the commemoration day for 55 troops who died in three major clashes with North Korea in the Yellow Sea. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday paid his respects to 55 South Korean service members killed during military clashes with North Korea while defending the Yellow Sea maritime border and vowed to build peace on the Korean Peninsula through strong defense capabilities.

Lee made the remarks in a speech marking the 11th Yellow Sea Defense Day at the national cemetery in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers (86.99 miles) south of Seoul, which honored the 55 sailors and Marines killed in clashes with North Korea near the Northern Limit Line — the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas.

“I believe that firmly protecting our people and the territory of South Korea with strong national defense and creating a peaceful Korean Peninsula free from fear of war is the historic mission left to us by the heroes who defended the Yellow Sea,” Lee said.

“Peace, a state in which there is no need to fight, is the most certain form of security, though it is difficult to achieve,” he added.

Lee also vowed to provide “special compensation” to the veterans for their “special sacrifices” in defending South Korea against North Korean maritime provocations.

It marked Lee's first time attending the ceremony as president after he attended last year's event as a presidential candidate.

Since 2016, the government has designated the fourth Friday of March as the commemoration day known as Yellow Sea Defense Day.

Yonhap