Moon lauds US sacrifice for Korea

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Foreign Affairs

Moon lauds US sacrifice for Korea

Posted : 2017-06-29 07:20

Updated : 2017-06-29 19:00

President Moon Jae-in looks at the memorial commemorating the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. / Yonhap

By Kim Rahn

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― President Moon Jae-in has expressed his gratitude to former American and U.N. troops who fought at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, one of the fiercest battles during the Korean War (1950-53), for their heroic fighting and sacrifices.

The battle delayed Chinese troops penetration into the Hamhung region of North Korea for about two weeks in late 1950, enabling the Hungnam Evacuation, the largest U.S. military evacuation of civilians among whom were Moon's parents.

Moon offered flowers to the memorial commemorating the battle which was recently set up at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, Thursday.

Other participants included General Robert Neller, the 37th commandant of the Marine Corps; General Glenn Walters, assistant commandant; veterans who participated in the battle, including Steven Olmstead and Warren Wiedhahn; and the families of some late veterans including Ned Forney, grandson of the late Colonel Edward H. Forney, the evacuation control officer.

"South Korea remembers the sacrifice you and your ancestors made. We will forever remember the memory of gratitude and respect," the President said in a commemorative speech. "The South Korea-U.S. alliance was formed through blood, not through signatures on papers. It is also strongly linked to the life of the citizens of the two nations."

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He said the American and U.N. soldiers' fight made the Hungnam Evacuation happen, in which U.S. soldiers abandoned their weapons to carry more civilians. About 14,000 people survived because of the operation, including Moon's parents. "Without the soldiers and without the evacuation, I wouldn't be here," he said. "Beyond my own family history, I'm deeply touched at the soldiers' love for humanity as they did not withdraw by themselves but evacuated that many refugees from North Korea."

Moon planted a hawthorn there, which is also called Winter King, "to remember the Chosin Battle where the heroic soldiers fought in the bitter cold of minus 40 degrees Celsius."

"As this tree grows, the South Korea-U.S. alliance will grow further. It will bear fruitful results of a unified Korean Peninsula," he said.

In response, Neller expressed his gratitude to Moon for coming to commemorate the war veterans. He said the strong alliance will help the two nations overcome challenges.

rahnita@ktimes.com