Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Exhibition honors heroes of Korean War
Photos of veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War are displayed at the exhibition "LIG D&A 50th Anniversary Commemorative Photo Exhibition for Korean War Veterans" on the second floor of the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul. Courtesy of LIG Defense & Aerospace
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Against the backdrop of escalating regional security anxieties and a booming domestic arms export industry, Korea’s defense establishment is turning its focus to the human cost of the conflict that defined its borders.
LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A), a major player in the nation's defense industry, opened a striking photography exhibition at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan. Marking both the company’s 50th anniversary and Korea’s designated Patriots and Veterans Month in June, the exhibition offers a somber, artistic look at the aging faces of those who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Titled "Remember, Respect, Reconnect," the exhibition functions less as a corporate celebration and more as an urgent historical archive. It features intimate portraits of surviving international veterans and their families, captured by two distinct documentary photographers. Rami, an artist leading the "Project-Soldier" initiative, has spent years traveling globally to document U.N. veterans. A recent trip to New Zealand in March was directly sponsored by the defense contractor.
Complementing his work are the photographs of Paris-based artist Shin Jung-hwan, who captured portraits of veterans across France, the United Kingdom and Turkey. In a deliberate nod to cultural reverence, Shin’s images are printed on hanji, a traditional, highly durable Korean mulberry paper that lends the weathered faces a textured, permanent dignity.
The event highlights a broader corporate pivot among Korean defense firms seeking to anchor their modern technological portfolios in civic duty. Since 2011, LIG D&A has quietly conducted diplomatic veterans' outreach, visiting survivors in countries ranging from Colombia and Ethiopia to the United States.
"This year holds special meaning as we mark our 50th anniversary by honoring the heroes who made today's Korea possible," LIG D&A Chief Executive Shin Ick-hyun said, underscoring the debt the modern state owes to its past.
The exhibition runs on the second floor of the War Memorial of Korea through July 12. Admission is free and open to the public daily, except Mondays.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.