US Assistant Secretary: 'Would Not Have Met My Wife' Without Korean War Sacrifices… Chokes Up at Armistice Anniversary

Michael DeSombre, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, emphasized the importance of the alliance, stating that the Korean War armistice marked the beginning of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, on the 27th (local time) marking the 73rd anniversary of the armistice.

Attending the 73rd armistice anniversary ceremony held at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., on the morning of that day, Assistant Secretary DeSombre said, "July 27, 1953, marked not only the end of hostilities, but also the birth of an enduring alliance forged through shared sacrifices."

Assistant Secretary DeSombre emphasized that "our two nations stood together against communism and fought to defend democracy and freedom on the Korean Peninsula," stressing that the sacrifices of U.S. and South Korean troops during the Korean War remind us that freedom is not free.

Assistant Secretary DeSombre added, "Our task today is to ensure that we are ready to stand side by side should the need to fight arise again, and to safeguard prosperity, security, and peace."

Introducing that his wife's family is from Incheon, Assistant Secretary DeSombre choked up as he said, "Had it not been for the shared sacrifices made to defend a free Korea, I would not have met my wife."

Assistant Secretary DeSombre's wife is of Korean descent.

Retired General John Tilelli, former Commander of U.S. Forces Korea and chairman of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation which hosted the event, said, "Even today, there are those who question the South Korea-U.S. relationship," adding, "I ask just one thing: honor the sacrifices of those who gave their lives (in the Korean War) and do not consider this war a 'forgotten war'."

Major General Yoon Hyung-jin, the defense attache at the South Korean Embassy in the U.S., attended and emphasized, "The South Korea-U.S. alliance, forged in the trials of battle, is stronger than ever," and that "it is not merely a strategic partnership, but an unbreakable brotherhood bound by blood and shared values."

(Photo: Joint coverage by Washington correspondents, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.