PRESIDENT PAYS TRIBUTE TO MYANMAR VICTIMS

[Anchor Lead]

Many Koreans still remember the 1983 bombing in Myanmar that killed 17 South Korean government officials and journalists who were accompanying then-President Chun Doo-hwan during his visit to the country. Now President Moon Jae-in paid his respect at the memorial monument for the victims of the bombing attack carried out by North Korean terrorists.

[Pkg]

On October 9th, 1983 a bomb went off at the mausoleum of Myanmar's national hero, Aung San. The target of the attack, orchestrated by North Korean terrorists, was then- South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan who was visiting Myanmar at the time. The blast killed 17 South Korean government officials and journalists, including deputy prime minister Suh Suk-joon. Yesterday, during his state visit to the country, President Moon Jae-in visited the Martyrs' Mausoleum, where the bombing took place. He placed flowers at a stone monument built in 2014 for the South Korean victims and paid his respect. Moon then took a closer look at the monument engraved with the names of the seventeen victims. However, he did not issue any special statements. Prior to his visit to the Martyrs' Mausoleum, the South Korean leader attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a Korea-Myanmar industrial complex. The Myanmarese government provided the 2.2-million-square-meter site and teamed up with the Korea Land and Housing Corporation for the project. The industrial park is scheduled to be completed in five years.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "Just as Korea performed the Miracle on the Han River with its economic growth, I hope this would serve as a stepping stone to making a miracle on the Ayeyarwady River."

The President looked to expand bilateral economic cooperation, as Myanmar is the hub that connects 3.4 billion consumers in China, India and Southeast Asian nations. The Cheong Wa Dae explained that the president visited the monument to pray for peace on the Korean Peninsula and honor those who died while serving their country.