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| Korean War veterans and their families from 21 countries wave hands during a welcome breakfast at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul in southern Seoul, Tuesday. The event, co-hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, the Korea Defense Veterans Association and Yoido Full Gospel Church, was held ahead of Thursday's ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement. Yonhap |
Veterans who fought for freedom under UN flag mark 70 years of armistice
By Jung Min-ho
Delegations from 22 countries that defended South Korea against communist forces during the 1950-53 Korean War gathered in Seoul on Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953.
The 200 delegates, including 64 war veterans, were welcomed by South Korean officials at a hotel, where they reflected on the meaning of their blood, sweat and tears shed on the battlefields of the peninsula and the legacy of their sacrifices.
Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor at Yoido Full Gospel Church, the host of a breakfast meeting there, honored both the living heroes and those fallen in the war, and attributed the success story of South Korea to their noble and brave efforts in that conflict.
"Thanks to the U.N. Command's sacrifice, devotion and support, South Korea has been able to emerge from the ashes of the war and eventually grow into one of the leading nations in the world," he said.
Invited by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to mark the armistice day on July 27, the guests plan to visit some of their former battlefields and other symbolic places, including the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom and the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, over the next several days.
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| New Zealand Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro pays her respects in front of a monument set up at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap |
Following the breakfast meeting, co-hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and the Korea Defense Veterans Association, the delegation from New Zealand, including Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, visited the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul.
The guests included Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Australia's Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel Matthew Keogh and France's Secretary of State for Veteran Affairs Patricia Miralles. South Korea's Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik will hold bilateral talks with each of the three between Wednesday and Thursday.
Also, there was Colin Thackery, 93, a British veteran who rose to fame after winning in the 13th series of Britain's Got Talent in 2019. He plans to sing "Arirang" ― the Korean folk song that kept him and his fellow members of the 45th Field Royal Artillery united and motivated during the war ― at Thursday's ceremony in Busan.
The veteran said the song always reminded him of South Korea. Park asked him to perform it for the ceremony during his visit to Britain in February. Thackery said this was his first visit to South Korea after seven decades.
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| The original Arirang scarf, left, and its 2023 edition / Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs |
As part of efforts to commemorate the occasion, the ministry said it restored the Arirang scarf, which was a popular souvenir for foreign troops, by having a new 2023 edition produced for the guests. The flags of all the countries that came to the aid of South Korea in the war are printed on the scarves.
"The scarf was restored as a symbol of the great alliance and its devotion that has continued over the past 70 years," Park said in a statement. "We will never forget the value of freedom and the history of the alliance this scarf symbolizes and pass it all on to future generations."
Park also said he plans to offer all the representatives the opportunity to issue a joint statement for world peace after Thursday's event, at a time when the very concept is coming under growing threat from Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear ambition.
During the Korean War, the 22 countries sent a total of 1.96 million troops and medical personnel to support South Korea. Of them, 37,902 were killed and 103,460 wounded, according to the ministry.
The countries were the United States, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey.
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