Remarks on Greeting Korean and American Congressional Veterans of the Korean War.

LET ME just say a word or two. It is a great privilege and pleasure for me to be in the company of not only South Korean veterans of the war in Korea but Members of Congress themselves, Members of our Congress, who also participated in the Korean war.

I am sure that this group has a very close bond between themselves for very good reasons. They went through adversity and difficulty and now are showing that same unity in their efforts to cement even stronger the friendship between the people of South Korea and the people of our country.

I congratulate them and welcome them to the White House, and I assure our South Korean friends that I will maximize my effort to make certain and positive that our country stands steadfast and firm in support of the people of South Korea.

I welcome every one of them and look forward to the opportunity of working with them and with their government in the days ahead.

MR. CHOI YOUNG HI. Well, we are very honored to visit the White House because of the audience of President Ford. Certainly we are very honored, all our people, but today I return here by the presence of all the Korean people, also the Korean Congress. Today we are just--Korean war breadth of time to come here 25 years ago. Why do we come here? We have two purposes.

One is, how do we pay appreciation and how do we respect the American people, especially all of the Congressmen, their supporters 25 years ago, so we came here.

The second one, we are the present Korean Congress war veterans group, this association group here. We also contact American Congressional war veterans people, see, and we discuss.

Also we told each other honestly, frankly, future Korean program. Also we discussed the future of Korean defense.

Today our President Park especially sends his best regards to the American people.

Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT. I should add that I had a wonderful trip to South Korea in December [November] of last year, and the Korean people gave me a tremendously warm, warm welcome. I had an opportunity to visit our American forces who are there, and I had an opportunity to meet with your President.

I think it is very unique that members of the South Korean parliamentary body, as well as our own Congress, can sit and talk about the need and necessity for strengthening our ties and at the same time reminisce about the great difficulties that all of them went through during that three-plus-year war.

I welcome you, and will you give my very best to your President.