[UNFORGOTTEN HEROES] Yoon pays respects to war dead at UN memorial cemetery

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[UNFORGOTTEN HEROES] Yoon pays respects to war dead at UN memorial cemetery

Published: 27 Jul. 2023, 18:54 Updated: 28 Jul. 2023, 15:26

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, and first lady Kim Keon-hee, second from right, joined by foreign dignitaries, salute the flag as they visit the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War on Thursday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, joined by foreign dignitaries, visited the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan to pay respects to fallen soldiers to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War ceasefire on Thursday.

Yoon was accompanied by first lady Kim Keon-hee, New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and other representatives from countries who participated in the war which began on June 25, 1950.

Thursday also coincided with UN Forces Participation Day, observed to honor members of the U.S.-led UN forces who fought alongside South Korea during the three-year conflict with North Korea.

Government officials, Korean War veterans and their families from some 22 countries who supported the South during the war under the UN flag were invited to Korea to attend a series of events this week to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that halted hostilities on July 27, 1953.

At the UN Memorial Cemetery, the presidential couple first paid respects in front of Luxembourg's flag, the New Zealand memorial and the graves of British soldiers.

The group also paid silent tribute in front of the UN Forces Monument, built in 1978 with inscriptions detailing the equipment and personnel support provided by the UN forces. This is the first time a sitting Korean president paid respects in silent tribute and laid a wreath at the monument, according to the presidential office.

Other participants included Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh, French Secretary of State for Veterans and Remembrance Patricia Mirallès and Joy Sakurai, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

The remains of some 2,320 soldiers from the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Turkey, the Netherlands, Norway and South Africa are laid to rest at the cemetery.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs hosted a large-scale ceremony at the Busan Cinema Center in celebration of the armistice agreement anniversary Thursday evening with some 2,600 attendees. This included 300 people from government delegations, veterans and their families from UN force countries.

Yoon greeted 62 UN forces veterans who were invited to the ceremony. They were escorted by South Korean and UN Command honor guards.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, third from right, attends a repatriation ceremony marking the return of the remains of seven South Korean troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War from the United States on Wednesday evening at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. The remains were transported on a KC-330 tanker transport plane after a handover ceremony in Hawaii the previous day. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

On Wednesday evening, Yoon also took part in a repatriation ceremony to receive the remains of seven South Korean soldiers killed in the Korean War that were returned home from the United States.

The remains of the soldiers, initially thought to be American war dead and later identified to be Koreans, were transferred in a handover ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii on Tuesday attended by officials including Korean Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul and Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

The remains were transported on a Korean Air Force KC-330 transport aircraft and escorted by four F-35A fighter jets as the plane entered Korea's air defense identification zone, or Kadiz.

Yoon, joined by Seoul officials and relatives of veterans, took part in the nighttime ceremony held at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, with a 21-gun salute to honor the repatriation of the fallen soldiers.

One set of remains was confirmed to belong to the late Choi Im-rak, a private first class who served as part of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army program, or Katusa, during the war. He died during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, one of the most intense battles during the war, in December 1950 at the age of 19.

This marked his return to his homeland after 73 years.

At the handover ceremony, Choi's remains were delivered to Korean Navy Sgt. Choi Ho-jong, a nephew of the late Choi.

Choi Yong, the 79-year-old youngest brother of late Pfc. Choi, read out a letter commemorating his brother in front of his returned remains.

"My brother Im-rak!" Choi said. "You went through many hardships and joined the army to save the country. Now our country, founded through many sacrifices, has become a free Republic of Korea where people can live well, with warm backs. Now you're in the arms of my son who joined the Navy. From now on, you don't have to worry about the country. Please rest in peace in our homeland."

Since taking office, President Yoon emphasized the importance of excavating and returning the remains of Korean War heroes to their homeland.

Since 2012, South Korea received the remains of 313 South Korean soldiers in over seven occasions from the United States, including the latest set of seven. The identities of just 19 sets have been confirmed through DNA tests.

Around 1.95 million people from 22 countries took part in the Korean War.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]