G20 서울 정상회의 참석을 위해 訪韓(방한)한 버락 오바마 미국 대통령이 11일 오전 용산 美軍(미군) 기지를 찾아 미군 장병을 격려하고, 굳건한 韓·美(한미) 공조를 강조하며 對(대)북한 메시지를 전했다.

미국의 ‘베테랑스 데이(Veterans Day·재향군인의 날)’이기도 한 이 날, 오바마 대통령은 수백 여 명의 미군 장병들 앞에서 “우리는 북한이 계속해서 핵무기를 추구하는 것은 오로지 더 큰 고립과 불안정으로 귀결될 것이라는 점을 분명히 해왔다”면서 “천안함 사건 이후 북한이 오해하지 말아야 할 것은 미국은 결코 對韓(대한) 방위공약에서 흔들림이 없다는 사실이며, 韓·美 동맹은 과거 어느 때보다 튼튼하다. 미국은 한반도의 안정보장에 대한 책임을 수행하는 데 전혀 주저하지 않겠다”고 강조했다.

그는 한국과의 공조를 강조하기 위한 듯 연설의 많은 부분을 6·25 전쟁의 의미를 되짚는데 할애하며 현재 한국에 복무 중인 미군, 참전용사 및 국민들에게 자긍심을 고무시키고 격려했다. 6·25 전쟁에서 보여준 미국의 희생이 오늘날 번영된 한국의 밑거름이 됐고, 따라서 지금 한국에서 현재 복무하고 있는 미군 장병의 봉사도 한반도의 미래 번영과 안정과 직결된다는 것이었다.

“일부는 6·25 전쟁의 희생이 ‘무승부를 위한 죽음(Die for a Tie)’이라는 표현을 쓰고 있지만, 번영을 구가 중인 민주주의 국가 한국과 희망을 지닌 한국인들을 본다면 한 가지 분명한 것이 있습니다. 그것은 무승부가 아니라, 그 때도 승리였고 지금도 승리라는 것입니다.”

오바마 대통령은 동석한 미군 6·25 전쟁 참전용사 62명과 한국군 참전용사들을 자리에서 직접 일으켜 세워 경의를 표했고, 참석한 미군 장병은 이 모습에 박수를 보냈다.

“여러분은 집과 가족을 떠나 한때 ‘잊힌 전쟁(The Forgotten War)’으로 불렸던 6·25 전쟁에서 목숨을 걸고 용맹과 헌신을 갖고 싸웠습니다. 여러분이 알아두어야 할 것은 우리는 여러분의 용기와 희생을 기억하고 있으며, 여러분의 봉사는 번영된 자유 대한민국의 유산으로 숨 쉬고 있습니다. 조국을 위해 용맹하게 싸웠던 한국군 참전용사들도 여기 오셨습니다. 감사해요, 친구들. 같이 갑시다(Thank you, friends. Katchi Kapshida).”

그는 “같이 갑시다”라는 부분은 한국어로 말했다.

다음은 오바마 대통령의 용산 기지 방문 연설 영어 원문 全文(전문)이다.

President Obama Veterans Day Speech Yongsan Garrison South Korea 2010

Hello, Yongsan! Let’s give another round of applause to Army Specialist Courtney Newby. Thank you for that introduction, and thank you for your service .I also want to thank our outstanding representatives here in the Republic of Korea: Ambassador Kathleen Stephens and General Skip Sharp. Congressman Peter Roskam from the great state of Illinois is here with us today. And our great friend and ally from the Republic of Korea is here, General Jung.

It is an honor to be here at Yongsan Garrison. As President of the United States, I have no greater privilege than serving as Commander-in-Chief of the finest military the world has ever known. And on this Veterans’ Day, there’s no place I’d rather be than right here with U.S. Forces Korea. We’ve got the 8th Army in the house. We’ve got members of the 7th Air Force. We’ve got U.S. Navy Forces Korea. We’ve got just about every Marine in South Korea here today. And we’ve got a whole lot of DOD civilians, too.

It’s also good to see some spouses and family members in the audience. You bear the burdens of your loved one’s service in ways that are often immeasurable - an empty chair at the dinner table or another holiday when Mom or Dad is some place far away. So I want you to know that this nation recognizes your sacrifice, and we are grateful for your service, too.

On this day, we honor every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of the United States of America. We salute fallen heroes, and keep in our prayers those who are still in harm’s way - like the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We recall acts of uncommon bravery and selflessness, but we also remember that honoring those who’ve served is about more than the words we say on Veterans’ Day or Memorial Day. It’s about how we treat our veterans every single day of the year. It’s about making sure they have the care they need and the benefits they have earned. It’s about serving all of you as well as you’ve served the United States of America.

This has been one of my highest priorities since taking office. It’s why I asked for one of the largest increases in the VA budget in the past thirty years. It’s why we’ve dramatically increased funding for veterans’ health care. It’s why we’re improving care for wounded warriors, especially those with Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury. It’s why we’re working to eliminate the backlog at the VA and reforming the entire process with electronic claims and medical records. It’s why there are fewer homeless veterans on the streets than there were two years ago, and why there are nearly 400,000 veterans and their families who are going to college because of the post-9/11 GI Bill.

So I want all of you to know that when you come home, your country will be there be for you. That is the commitment I make as your Commander-in-Chief. That is the sacred trust between the United States of America and all who defend its ideals.

It’s a trust that’s been forged in places far from our shores: from the beaches of Europe to the jungles of Vietnam from the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to the peninsula where we stand today.

Sixty years have come and gone since the Communist armies first crossed the 38th parallel. Within three days, they had captured Seoul. By the end of the next month, they had driven the Korean army all the way south, to Pusan. And from where things stood in the summer of 1950, it didn’t appear that the Republic of Korea would survive much longer.

At the time, many Americans had probably never heard of Korea. And it had only been five years since we finished fighting the last war. But we knew that if we allowed the unprovoked invasion of a free nation, all free nations would be threatened. And so, for the first time since its creation, the United Nations voted to use armed force to repel the attack from North Korea.

On September 15th, 1950, American forces landed at Inchon. The conditions they fought under were some of the worst that Americans had ever experienced. The temperature reached more than thirty below in the winter and over one hundred degrees in the summer. In many places, Americans and our Korean allies were outgunned and outmanned, sometimes by as much as 20 to 1. At one point, they were hit with 24,000 artillery shells a day. By the end, the fighting had sometimes devolved into trench warfare, waged on hands and knees in the middle of the night.

And still, our soldiers fought on. Nearly 37,000 Americans would give their lives in Korea. But after three years of fighting, our forces finally succeeded in driving the invading armies back over the 38th parallel. One war historian said that while he believed Korea was “the greatest of all trials” for American troops, their performance was “nothing short of miraculous.”

Many of the men responsible for this miracle were only teenagers. Others had just finished fighting in the Second World War. Most would go home to raise their families and live out their lives. And sixty-two veterans of the Korean War have returned to be with us today.

Gentlemen, we are honored by your presence. We are grateful for your service. And the world is better off because of what you did here. And for those who can, I would ask you to stand and accept the thanks of a grateful nation.

I also want to recognize the Korean soldiers who battled side by side with our own. These men fought bravely and sacrificed greatly for their country, and some of them have joined us here as well. Thank you, friends. Katchi Kapshida(같이 갑시다). We go together.

The veterans who have traveled here today saw battle at the Inchon landing and the Pusan Perimeter. You survived the bloodshed at Heartbreak Ridge and the ambush at the Chosin Reservoir. At one point in that battle, the enemy tossed a grenade into a trench where multiple marines lay wounded. That’s when Private Hector Cafferata, ran into that trench, picked up that grenade, and threw it back. It detonated in his hand, severely injuring his arm. But because of what he did, Private Cafferata saved the lives of his fellow marines. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroism, and he is here with us today.
오늘 여기 오신 (62명의) 참전용사들은 인천상륙작전과 부산교두보에서 싸웠습니다. 여러분들은 단장의 능선 혈투에서, 그리고 장진호 기습에서 살아남았습니다. 그 전쟁중 적이 참호를 향하여 수류탄을 던졌는데, 참호안엔 다친 해병대원이 있었습니다. 이 순간, 헥터 카페라타 이등병은 참호로 뛰어가 수류탄을 집어 적을 향하여 던졌습니다. 수류탄은 그러나 그의 손안에서 터졌고 팔을 심하게 다쳤지만 그 덕분에 카페라타 이등병은 동료 해병대원들의 목숨을 살렸습니다. 그는 영웅적 행동으로 명예의 메달을 받았으며 오늘 우리와 함께 여기 있습니다.

So many of you served your nation with such courage and commitment. You left your homes and your families and you risked your lives in what has often been called “The Forgotten War.”
여러분들은 모두 그러한 용기와 결의로 조국에 봉사하였습니다. 여러분들은 가정과 가족을 떠나 '잊혀진 전쟁'이라고 불린 전쟁에 생명을 걸었습니다.

Well today, I want you to know this: We remember. We remember your courage. We remember your sacrifice. And the legacy of your service lives on in a free and prosperous Republic of Korea.
오늘 저는 여러분들에게 이 사실을 분명히 알리고 싶습니다: 우리는 기억합니다. 우리는 여러분들의 용기를 기억합니다. 우리는 여러분들의 희생을 기억합니다. 여러분들의 봉사가 남긴 유산은 자유롭고 번영하는 한국에서 살아 있습니다.

Real change comes slowly, and many people don’t live to see the difference they’ve made in the lives of others. For the men and women who have served on this peninsula, all you have to do is look around. Whether you’re a veteran who landed in 1950 or one of the troops at Yongsan today, the security you’ve provided has made possible one of the greatest success stories of our time.
진정한 변화는 서서히 이뤄지고, 많은 사람들은 자신들이 다른 사람들의 생활을 바꿔놓는 것을 보지 못하고 죽습니다.

There are Koreans today who can still remember when this country was little more than rice paddies and villages that would flood during monsoon season. Not two generations later, highways and skyscrapers line the horizon of one of the fastest-growing, most prosperous democracies in all the world - progress that has transformed the lives of millions.
雨期에 홍수에 쓸려가곤 하였던 작은 논과 마을밖에 없었던 이 나라의 모습을 기억하는 한국인들이 아직 많이 살아 있습니다. 두 세대가 지난 후 고속도로와 고층빌딩들이 전세계에서 가장 역동적으로 성장하고 있는 나라의 하늘을 가르고 있습니다. 이는 수많은 사람들의 생활을 바꿔놓은 발전이었습니다.

One of these people is a man who went from grinding poverty to the presidency of this country. When I visited last year, President Lee shared with me his story of what it was like to grow up poor as a child in Korea. And he said, “I hope the American people understand how grateful we are for what you’ve done, because we would not be the extraordinarily strong, prosperous nation we are were it not for the sacrifices made by the men and women of the United States military.”
이들 한국인중 한 사람이 찢어질 듯한 가난을 딛고 이 나라의 대통령이 된 사람입니다. 내가 작년에 한국을 방문하였을 때 李 대통령은 한국에서 가난한 소년으로 성장한 이야기를 나에게 하였습니다. 그는 말하였습니다. "저는 미국인들이 한 일에 대하여 우리가 얼마나 감사하고 있는지 알아주시기 바랍니다. 미군의 희생이 없었더라면 우리는 이렇게 번영하고 강력한 나라를 만들 수 없었을 것입니다."

Because the Korean War ended where it began geographically, some used the phrase “Die for a Tie” to describe the sacrifice of those who fought here. But as we look around at this thriving democracy and its grateful, hopeful citizens, one thing is clear: This was no tie. This was a victory. It was a victory then, and it is a victory today.
한국전쟁이 시작된 곳에서 끝났기 때문에 일부 인사들은 여기서 싸운 사람들의 희생을 빗대어 "무승부를 위하여 죽었다"고 했습니다. 그러나 우리가 약동하는 민주국가의 감사하고 희망에 찬 시민들을 둘러보면 다음과 같은 사실은 명백합니다: 그것은 무승부가 아니었습니다. 그것은 승리였습니다. 그때도 이겼고, 오늘도 이겼습니다.

Sixty years later, a friendship that was forged in war has become an alliance that has led to greater security and untold progress - not only in the Republic of Korea, but throughout Asia. And that is something for everyone here to be extraordinarily proud of.

But it is also a reminder of what still lies on the other side of the 38th parallel. Today, the Korean peninsula provides the world’s clearest contrast between a society that is open and one that is closed between a nation that is dynamic and growing, and a government that would rather starve its people than change. It’s a contrast so stark you can see it from space, as the brilliant lights of Seoul give way to utter darkness in the north.

This is not an accident of history. It is a direct result of the path that has been taken by North Korea - a path of confrontation and provocation one that includes the pursuit of nuclear weapons and the attack on the Cheonan last March.

In the wake of this aggression, Pyongyang should not be mistaken: the United States will never waver in our commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea. The alliance between our two nations has never been stronger, and along the with the rest of the world, we have made it clear that North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will only lead to more isolation and less security.

But there is another path available to North Korea. If they choose to fulfill their international obligations and commitments to the international community, they will have the chance to offer their people lives of growing opportunity instead of crushing poverty - a future of greater security and greater respect a future that includes the prosperity and opportunity available to citizens on this end of the Korean peninsula.

Until that day comes, the world can take comfort in knowing that the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces are standing watch on freedom’s frontier. In doing so, you carry on the legacy of service and sacrifice we saw from those who landed here all those years ago - a legacy we honor and cherish on this Veterans’ Day.

At the Korean War Memorial in Washington, there is a plaque right near the inscription that lists the number of Americans who were killed, wounded, mission in action, and held as prisoners of war. It says “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”

A country they never knew and a people they never met. I know of no better words to capture the selflessness and generosity of every man or woman who has ever worn the uniform of the United States of America. At a time when it has never been more tempting or accepted to pursue narrow self-interest and personal ambition, you remind us that there are few things more American than doing what we can to make a difference in the lives of others.

That is why you will always be the best that America has to offer the world. And that is why people who never met you and never knew you will always be grateful to the friend and ally they found in America. Thank you for your service, may God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

동영상 보기(美 NBC방송)