SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook awarded state medals and citations to 68 people in recognition of their contributions to various projects the government carried out last year to mark the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

Among them were Lee Jong-chan, a former lawmaker currently heading the Heritage of Korean Independence, an association of independence fighters and their descendants, and Yuji Hosaka, a naturalized South Korean from Japan and a professor of Korea University.

Lee was awarded the Moran Medal for his role as a co-chair of the committee formed to oversee commemorative projects, while Hosaka was given a presidential citation for his contribution to preventing historical distortions related to Dokdo, South Korea's easternmost islets claimed by Japan, and wartime sexual slaves, known as comfort women.

"Thanks to the dedication of many people, a solid cornerstone was laid to correctly record the history of the independence movement and remember it together with the people," Han said. "It is our grave obligation to make the Republic of Korea, which was established on the sacrifices of patriotic martyrs, a fairer and more peaceful country and hand it over to future generations."

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