PUNCHBOWL — Melvin Tamashiro couldn't remember the name of the last South Korean president he met in the early 1990s. He won't forget this time.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun met Tamashiro and other U.S. veterans during a brief and solemn wreath-laying ceremony at a military cemetery where thousands of Korean War veterans are buried.

Roh stopped overnight in Hawai'i on his way home from an International Olympic Committee meeting in Guatemala, where he failed to secure the 2014 Winter Olympics for his country. The Russian city of Sochi won the bid.

In the private ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Roh honored the Americans who lost their lives in the Korean conflict more than 50 years ago. He was accompanied by his wife, Kwon Yang-suk; Adm. Timothy Keating, head of the U.S. Pacific Command; and Gov. Linda Lingle.

Korean flags flapped in the spiraling winds inside the cemetery's volcanic crater.

Eighteen aging veterans, wearing colorful aloha shirts and garrison caps, got to shake hands and take photos with the president. They were outnumbered by U.S. and Korean aides and security personnel by about 6 to 1 but made their presence felt.

They saluted the president as he arrived and waved to him as he was driven away.

Some could still feel the bitter-cold Korean winters. Others put it out of their mind. But all of them recall the faces of their friends whom they would never see again.

Tamashiro, the 76-year-old Korean War veteran, said he knows many people buried in the cemetery, including his son.

Retired Army Master Sgt. Henry Lee earned a Purple Heart in the Vietnam War. His father, who was born in what is now North Korea, was also a veteran and is buried in the cemetery.

"I am very proud of my Korean heritage," said the 77-year-old Lee.

Lee said it was "very honorable" for Roh to pay his respects to fallen U.S. soldiers.

"I'm sure he appreciates what the U.S. has done," he said.

Today Roh will meet with members of the local Korean community before leaving for Seoul.