By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Han Min-koo left for Colombia Wednesday for talks with ranking officials there. He will also visit Peru, the first visit by a South Korean Army Chief of Staff to the country, from Feb. 7 to 11.
During his five-day stay in Colombia, Han will meet with Colombian war veterans and deliver a message of appreciation for the sacrifices they made during the 1950-53 Korean War.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the war.
"Colombian troops travelled by ship for a month to an unknown Asian nation located on the opposite side of the globe. Their efforts and sacrifice safeguarded our nation's democracy and freedom," the top Army commander said in a news release.
Colombia was the only South American country that fought alongside South Korea as part of U.N. forces against North Korean communists backed by China. It sent about 5,300 troops to help defend South Korea.
A total of 143 Colombian soldiers were killed during the war, while 438 were wounded and 49 went missing in action, according to the release.
In 2008, the Seoul government donated about $115,000 to Colombia to build a Korean War monument.
The 2.5-meter-tall monument features the shape of a Turtle Ship, the warship designed and used by Adm. Yi Sun-shin during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), and is located at the Colombian Navy's museum in the northern port city of Cartegena.
Han will meet with Colombia's Armed Forces Commander Gen. Freddy Padilla and Army Commander Gen. Oscar Gonzalez to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation in the defense industry, it said.
Han will be decorated with a Jose Maria Cordova medal, an honor awarded by the Colombian government, said the release.
In Peru, he will meet with Gen. Francisco Contreras, chief of the Joint Command of the Peruvian Armed Forces, and Gen. Otto Guibovich, commander-in-chief of the Peruvian Army for talks over bilateral cooperation.
Han is expected to receive the Francisco Bolognesi medal, Peru's highest government medal.