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| Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik, right of center in the rear, and government representatives of the 22 countries that helped South Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War, observe a moment of silence before the Ministerial Summit on Veterans Affairs at a hotel in Busan, Tuesday. Yonhap |
Major ceremony marking 70th anniversary of armistice set for today
By Lee Hyo-jin
Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik proposed a joint declaration, Wednesday, with 22 countries that helped South Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War, pledging collective efforts toward maintaining global peace and values of freedom.
"Through the joint declaration, we hope to share the value of prosperity and freedom achieved through 70 years of solidarity with our ally nations, and I hope this will serve as a new starting point of an alliance for the 70 years to come," Park said.
Park's proposal was made during the Ministerial Summit on Veterans Affairs with the 22 countries in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement that halted the inter-Korean conflict.
The meeting was held in the southeastern port city of Busan under the theme "Solidarity for the Value of Freedom." It was attended by government representatives of the 22 countries such as defense ministers and ambassadors.
The 22 nations that participated in the Korean War are 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.
On the same day, Park also held one-on-one meetings with representatives of Australia and France. With Australia's Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel Matthew Keogh, Park discussed ways for joint efforts to provide better support for surviving Australian veterans.
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| South Korean service members cover the casket of a South Korean soldier, killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, during a ceremony to hand over the remains of seven soldiers, held at Hickam Air Force in Hawaii, Tuesday (local time). The ceremony, attended by South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. John Aquilino, took place ahead of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement which falls on July 27. Courtesy of Kookbang Ilbo |
During a meeting with French Secretary of State for Veterans and Memory Patricia Miralles, the two sides signed a letter of intent (LOI) on veterans' affairs cooperation, with an aim to preserve and utilize the heritages related to the Korean War, including the "Path of Remembrance."
The signing of the document would enable the implementation of several cooperation projects, said the ministry, including an award ceremony of the Chungmu Order of Military Merit for the late Sgt. Park Dong-ha in recognition of his wartime service in the French Battalion.
Today, Park will meet with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in Europe, dispatched 110 combat troops to the Korean War, which was the first overseas dispatch of troops in its history.
Bettel has shown great interest to relations with South Korea. During his term as the mayor of Luxembourg from 2011 to 2013, he actively engaged in events paying tribute to Korean War veterans and attended the annual South Korea-Luxembourg Friendship Concert held in Luxemburg every year.
Park will then have a separate meeting with Zafer Tarikdaroglu, Turkey's deputy minister of family and social services, to discuss various cooperation projects. The two countries' relations are often described as "blood brothers" as Turkey sent 15,000 troops to help South Korea in the Korean War.
The veterans ministry is planning to hold a large-scale ceremony today to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice.
The ceremony will begin at 7:40 p.m. at the Busan Cinema Center. The venue was formerly an airport where Task Force Smith, a U.S. unit under the United Nations flag, first arrived in South Korea under a mission to protect the nation against North Korea's invasion.
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| Korean War veterans and their families wave on a KTX train bound for Busan, Wednesday, where they will attend various events honoring the veterans' wartime service. Yonhap |
Under the main theme of "Freedom by Dedication, Future by Alliance," the event is expected to gather some 4,000 people including 170 representatives from 25 countries, foreign and Korean veterans, as well as their families and descendants.
The opening ceremony will feature a parade of 62 U.N. veterans down the "path of heroes" escorted by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command (UNC). The names of the veterans will appear on a large screen set up on the stage in a show of respect for their services.
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