South Korea, 15 September 2010 – Former President Fidel V. Ramos called on the youth not only to remember the past but to build on the legacy of peace made possible by those who fought the Korean War, during a lecture delivered before 300 international students at the Catholic University of Korea (CUK) in Bucheon City.

"Let us all remember that peace and development must go together. Peace without development is a short-term ceasefire and will not guarantee a nation’s progress nor create a higher quality of life for its people,” he said. “On the other hand, development without peace is just a short-term three-year project,” he asserted. Pres. Ramos is in South Korea for weeklong activities to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. A veteran of the Korean War under the 20th Battalion Combat Team of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK), he leads a delegation of 30 Filipino veterans and their families upon the invitation of the South Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. "The best way to honor those whose sacrifices helped establish the peace and progress we now enjoy is to live our daily lives to the best of our ability,” he explained, adding that the current generation must maximize the opportunities offered by the freedom it has been entrusted with. You have to be caring, sharing and daring individuals,” he told the audience. “You have to make war against war.” With close to 50,000 Filipinos in South Korea, Pres. Ramos also extolled the influence being exerted by Filipinos in the development of South Korea’s social landscape. The number of students in South Korea, for instance, has grown 400% since 2005,” he stated. The rise mirrors a general trend in other sectors, where workers, academicians, professionals and spouses of Korean nationals have increasingly contributed to the continued advance of the Korean economy. Pres. Ramos received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Public Administration from the CUK, which currently has 47 Filipino students under its foreign scholarship program. "Commemorative activities are important because they enable citizens to advance to a better future by taking stock of the past. We must remember; we must learn; we must impart. We must give younger generations the benefit of our experiences,” he stressed. The Philippines sent 7,420 soldiers to South Korea from 1950 to 1955 as part of a UN coalition tasked to defend South Korea from communist invasion. The PEFTOK received several citations for its role in helping secure the freedom of South Korea, with 112 soldiers sacrificing their lives in the course of duty.