President Yoon Suk-yeol thanks Korean War veterans for their service

Defense

Published: 24 Jun. 2022, 17:42 Updated: 26 Jun. 2022, 18:29

President Yoon Suk-yeol thanks Korean War veterans for their service

Tefera Negussie Moru, right, an Ethiopian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War, salutes President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, after Yoon presented him with the Ambassador for Peace Medal at a ceremony with over a dozen veterans of the war in Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Friday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk-yeol thanked Korean War veterans in person for their service in defending South Korea from the North Korean invasion 72 years ago.

In hosting a luncheon with over a dozen veterans, coming from countries including Australia, Britain, Canada, Ethiopia, the Philippines and the United States, at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Friday, Yoon expressed his gratitude on behalf of the country to the veterans for “dedicating their youth and life” to defend Korea’s democracy "from the invasion of communists."

“You made noble sacrifices and responded with a sense of duty to a call for help from those you had never met before,” Yoon said in addressing the veterans, their relatives and diplomats representing the participating nations. “The freedom, peace and prosperity of the Republic of Korea [ROK] that we enjoy today are built upon the blood, sweat, sacrifice and dedication of the ROK and United Nations veterans.”

Attending the event was Gerald E. Shepherd from Australia, who fought in the war from June to October of 1952 as part of the Australian naval forces under the UN command, and Victor Swift, a British corporal who saw major action in the Third Battle of the Hook in May 1953, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

Nearly 2 million people from 22 countries answered South Korea’s call for help after the invasion from North Korea on June 25, 1950. The fighting ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953, and the two Koreas remain divided with a heavily militarized border.

At the event, also attended by some 200 descendants of the veterans, Yoon awarded some veterans with the Ambassador for Peace Medal, an expression of appreciation from the Korean government to the veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Yoon pledged his government will not cease in its efforts to find the remains of the missing veterans, who number in the thousands. Missing U.S. veterans alone account for over 7,000, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

“The Republic of Korea will never forget the friendship and devotion of the veterans,” Yoon said. “Upholding your courage and noble spirit, the Republic of Korea will also fulfill its role and responsibility as a responsible member of the international community to protect freedom.”

Yoon, far right, bows down in respect to the 1950-53 Korean War veterans as they exit the stage after a medal ceremony at an event in Seoul on Friday to honor their valor and sacrifice. [NEWS1]

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]