Canadian Lieutenant-General Eyre is honoured with a Korean name
June 4, 2019
United Nations Command (UNC) Deputy Commander, Lieutenant-General (LGen) Wayne Eyre received an honourary Korean name from the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance Friendship Association (RUAFA) at the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense Convention Center in Seoul, South Korea.
LGen Eyre is the first Canadian to receive this honour as he is the first non-American Deputy Commander of UNC.
RUAFA Chairperson Woo, Hyun-Euy bestowed LGen Eyre with the Korean name “Ye, Young-soo” and presented him a hanging scroll with his new name in Hangul. Additionally, LGen Eyre was presented a Taekwondo Certificate (Honorary 4th Dan) and a Taekwondo uniform with a black belt.
The Korean naming ceremony is a long standing tradition to express gratitude and appreciation for great service by military leaders in Korea. LGen Eyre received his surname “Ye” as it is phonetically close to Eyre, and it will be “Ye from Pyeongtaek” the home of UNC. His forename, “Young” means prosperity and honour and “Soo” means to secure and defend. He is “Young-soo” as he protected and secured peace on the Korean Peninsula during his tenure as the Deputy Commander of UNC.
“It is my absolute honour for the ROK–US Alliance Friendship Association to bestow a Korean name on me,” said LGen Eyre, “It touches me deeply just how much thought and effort has gone into selecting the name.”
Witnesses to this honour included the Canadian Ambassador to the ROK, Honourable Michael Danagher, and Honourable Yim, Sung-joon, former ROK Ambassador to Canada, along with Honourable Lee, Dong-seop, and member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Combined Forces Command (CFC) Deputy Commander, General Choi, Byung-hyuk.“Being in Korea has also given me a new appreciation of the importance of the ROK-US alliance for the security and stability of North East Asia.
The combined deterrent effect of the Alliance, especially as it has been applied in the framework of the Armistice Agreement, has been the single most important factor in maintaining regional stability and security over the last 66 years,” said LGen Eyre, “So the work that organizations such as the ROK-US Alliance Friendship Association do is of great importance in underpinning the social bonds that makes this alliance iron clad.”
RUAFA was founded in 2004 and is comprised of local members of the arts, culture, and sports communities, retired government officials, and retired ROK general officers. RUAFA has bestowed Korean names on US Ambassadors, and American leaders, including Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Recipients customarily include the commander of UNC/CFC/United States Forces Korea and its US general officers, as a sign of friendship and respect meant to strengthen the Alliance and bring Korea and the U.S. closer together.
He said, “UNC continues and will continue to support the vital work of this alliance. With 15 other UN sending states, the command looks at its founding document, UN Security Council Resolution 84, for continued guidance. In there, the task of ‘restoring peace and security to the area’ is at the heart of everything we do. On one hand, we do everything we can to help establish a lasting peace on the peninsula, by helping to implement agreements and give diplomacy the space to work. On the other hand, our readiness to support CFC in providing security to the ROK is of equal importance. Those two words, peace and security, continue to define our daily existence, and guide us as we go forward.”
