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Commemoration Remarks for 2018 Korea America Year End Friendship Night

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,
This is Han Chul Soo, President of Korea America Friendship Society. Before beginning my welcoming remarks for tonight’s event, I would like to express my deepest condolences and pray for the repose of the late George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, passed away on November 30, 2018.

Ambassador Harry Harris,
General Robert B. Abrams, Commander of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, and Mrs. Abrams, Distinguished guests from U.S. Embassy to Korea and ROK-US Combined Forces Command staffs, Our active event sponsors and members of Korea America Friendship Society, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tonight we have a very special event for Korea America friendship night to be in honor of Harry Harris nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Korea on June 28 and to welcome General Robert Abrams assigned as Commander of UNC/CFC/USFK on November 8 of this year.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The situation surrounding Korean Peninsula has been shaking sharply and unprecedentedly fluid by two inter-Korean summits and US-North Korea summit in Singapore etc.

I am very glad and have a deep confidence on Ambassador Harris and General Abrams who know North Korea’s strategy to South Korea and the importance of ROK-US alliance well and can prepare for the possible change of situation with ability, experience and knowledge in this serious time, and our people have good hopes for their great roles for our country.

First of all, I would like to introduce Ambassador Harris an outstanding maritime strategist.

After graduating from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1978, Ambassador Harris served as major commanders and staffs in various units including the U.S. 6th Fleet. He was the first Asian-American to hold four-star rank in the U.S. Navy and commanded USINDOPACOM, which covers two thirds of the oceans surface, for 3 years from May 2015 to May 2018. His father, attending the Korean war, also has a special relationship with Korea.

Ladies and gentlemen, expressing our wishes for his successful service at the helm, please give a warm round of applause to Ambassador Harry Harris.

Next I would like to introduce General Robert Abrams, Commander of UNC/CFC/USFK.
General Abrams graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1982. He has risen from a noble U.S. service family which his father served as the U.S Army Chief of Staff, his two elder brothers retired as army brigadier general and army four star general respectively.

He engaged in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and commanded troops in Southern Afghanistan as the commander of 3rd Infantry division. Before he was assigned as ROK-US Combined Forces Command on November 8, he commanded the U.S. Army Forces Command, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from Aug 2015 until October 2018, which is the largest unit and has the greatest strength in the U.S. army.

Please give a warm round of applause to welcome General Abrams and his lovely wife.

Ladies and gentlemen,
ROK-US alliance is a very special relationship. It is a bloodforged bond as tie that the two nations had fought shoulder to shoulder to keep liberal democracy in the Korean war caused by North Korea’s invasion in 1950 and developed and consolidated tie that had fought together in the wars of Asia and Middle east.

Especially, as many as 36,574 U.S. soldiers were killed in action 68 years ago in Korean war to protect Republic of Korea and its people they never knew and they never met.

Our people will never forget their noble sacrifice and help. They will remain forever as our heroes.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The ROK-US Combined Forces Command, marking the 40th anniversary of its activation on November 7 this year, is the axis of ROK-US alliance. It is a unique exemplary system around the world, composed of ROK-US combined system not only its headquarters but also its divisions and its subordinate units, sharing OPLAN and military doctrine, and the mutual confidence and cohesion between ROK-US soldiers is high through working and training together, so has the efficient interoperability of intelligence and operation.

And as the wartime OPCON is ideal system, making ROK-US OPLAN in the peace time to execute combined exercises and trainings based on it and by conducting RSOI operation efficiently to the U.S. high tech strengths and hunderds of thousands military personnels(army, navy, airforce and marine) which will be agumented in the wartime, it should neither be weakened nor changed until the favorable condition is made, such as creating a complete denuclearization in the Korean peninsula by removing North Korea’s nuclear threat, but we must continue to strengthen the alliance.

Ladies and gentlemen,
the 919 military agreement between South and North adopted in Pyeongyang inter-Korean summit in the past September 19, includes the contents that may possibly weaken the capabilities of our military surveillance, reconnaissance and early warning and nullify the NLL in the West sea.

Especially, as Seoul and metropolitan area, which is the heart of Republic of Korea’s politic and economy with the population of about 25millions people(half of Korea’s population)is located just 60kms far from Military Demarcation Line and has a narrow depth of defense, it is very vulnerable by North Korea’s surprise attack in the beginning of war.

And if North Korea launch a surprise attack to the Han River Estuary and Gimpo peninsula which will be fully opened to North Korea by the military agreement, there is a strong chance that all our people will be in put in chaos, it is the concern of many military experts and Korean citizens and they believe that the agreement should be drastically modified or nullified.

Our efforts for the peace and mutual survival of Korean peninsula should be based upon the premise of keeping the identity of Republic of Korea and solidated national security, so the South Korea’s security capability and the combined capability with the Unites States of our ally nation should never be weakened.

And we had undergone trial and errors many times in the process of various negotiations to remove the North Korean nuclear threat for a long time, including the Six-party Talks. We should make full denuclearization on Korean peninsula successful certainly in this time by analyzing the failed reasons of the negotiations thoroughly.

As General Abrams emphasized at his change of command ceremony, we have to continuously reinforce the ROK-US combined strength and prepare for the readiness posture all the time, with the spirit of “Fight tonight”, meaning we have to be ready to fight at any time,

In conclusion, I would like to say thanks once again for attending tonight’s event, despite your busy schedules at year end. And I hope that tonight’s event may contribute to promoting greater friendship between our two countries. I sincerely thank all the sponsors who have helped support this event. Especially, I would like to thank the members of the Year-End Friendship Night Preparation staffs.

As Christmas is coming, I wish our American friends who celebrate Christmas in Korea far away from their country a merry Christmas and happy new year. Thank you.

Together we go! (Kachi-kapshida)!