Hundreds of veterans attend ceremony to mark 73rd anniversary of Korean War

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Hundreds of veterans attend ceremony to mark 73rd anniversary of Korean War

Published: 25 Jun. 2023, 16:52 Updated: 25 Jun. 2023, 17:47

Veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War read a statement together at the ceremony to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the war at the Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul on Sunday. The veterans are wearing uniforms specially designed for them by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. [YONHAP]

Some 250 veterans of the Korean War joined a special ceremony in Seoul on Sunday hosted for the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the war.

Many, attending with their families, were clad in uniforms specially designed for them by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs this year, gifted to some 51,000 surviving veterans.

President Yoon Suk Yeol in a ceremony earlier this month to present the uniforms to the veterans and their families at the Blue House said, “Proper remembrance and honoring of those who sacrificed themselves for the safety of all is the way to reaffirm and remind ourselves of our sovereignty.”

Three veterans — Sgt. Sah Hae-jin, Sgt. Kim Jong-sul and Sgt. Han Hong-sub — were posthumously awarded the Hwarang medal, one of the degrees of the Order of Military Merit in Korea, at the ceremony held at the Jangchung Gymnasium on Sunday.

“I just wish my father were alive to witness all this with his own eyes,” said Sah’s son, Yun-tae, speaking with the JoongAng Ilbo.

In a battle at Hill No. 410 in Geumhwa County of Gangwon on Oct. 15, 1951, Sgt. Sah showed valor by approaching the enemy army and attacking it with a grenade, killing at least 12 enemy soldiers and damaging their weapons system. Sah served in the military from 1948 until 10 years after the end of the Korean War.

Sah died in 2002.

“My heart is full of joy that my father, who never once resented the country in his life even though he lived a difficult life and was not recognized for his merits, is now recognized,” said Sah’s son.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with John Linton, director of International Health Care Center of Severance Hospital, whose father fought in the Korean War, at a special exhibition dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Korea-U.S. alliance at the National Museum of Contemporary History in Seoul on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Sgt. Kim was awarded the Order of Merit for making a decisive contribution to the combat action at a battle in Geumhwa County, Gangwon on Oct. 14, 1952. Kim was at the frontlines of the battle when he was able to kill three enemy soldiers with a grenade.

“My father led a tough life after the war, but he would often recall how he was able to defend his country side by side with his comrades, many of whom perished in the war,” Kim’s son told the JoongAng Ilbo. “I am thankful to the government for recognizing my father and his valor and sacrifice.”

Sgt. Han was awarded for approaching the enemy forces alone and killing about 10 enemy soldiers during a battle on Hill No. 500 on Oct. 15, 1952.

Poet Park Jeong-rae, whose father was war hero Park Sun-hong, read a poem he wrote titled, “Letter to my father,” at the ceremony. Park Sun-hong authored a some 80,000-character-long account of 274 days of the war he fought.

There was also a ceremony to remember around 120,000 soldiers whose remains are still missing.

Veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War attend a ceremony at the Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul on Sunday to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. [YONHAP]

Some descendants of the 22 nations that fought with South Korea during the war also attended the ceremony.

The Korean War broke out when the North invaded the South on June 25, 1950. A total of 1.95 million forces of the UN member states came to the assistance of South Korea, fighting the war against North Korean and Chinese forces until July 27, 1953.

“During the three-year war, 150,000 UN forces including 130,000 U.S. soldiers, and 620,000 South Korean soldiers were killed, missing, or injured,” Yoon wrote in a message he released on his Facebook account on Sunday. “We must never forget the blood and tears shed by veterans and their families.”

Yoon also toured a special exhibition dedicated to the 70 years of the Korea-U.S. alliance at the National Museum of Contemporary History in Seoul on Sunday, joined by descendants of Korean War veterans including the daughter of war hero Gen. Paik Sun-yup, and John Linton, director of International Health Care Center of Severance Hospital, whose father fought in the Korean War. The entourage was also joined by Foreign Minister Park Jin, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg and Paul LaCamera, commander of the United Nations Command.

BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG, ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]