President Moon makes surprise visit to military camp

SEOUL, Dec 28, 2018, Yonhap. President Moon Jae-in made a surprise trip Friday to a military training camp near the inter-Korean border for lunch and a special meeting with new army conscripts, reported the Yonhap.

“Thank you for welcoming me with applause when I should be the one to applaud you,” the president said shortly before the start of lunch with some 200 new service members at the 5th Infantry Division based in Yeoncheon, located some 60 kilometers north of Seoul.

The president’s first trip to an Army boot camp came as he sought to personally offer his gratitude to military service members, his office Cheong Wa Dae said.

“Military service, in a way, is a very precious duty when our young people have to devote the prime time of their youth for our national security, our people and the lives and safety of our families,” Moon said in a separate meeting held shortly after the lunch.

“I hope you will take pride in doing so,” he added, according to Cheong Wa Dae pool reports.