Meaning of participation in war
By Hwang Ki-chul
Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Hwang Ki-chul / Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
“It is truly heartwarming to see the country we helped has become as prosperous as it is now.” This is what one of the old Colombian veterans said to me in May when I visited Colombia on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Colombian Battalion to the Korean War.
The veteran recollected the brutal war that used to be his trauma but is now a source of pride. His remarks made me proud not only as the Republic of Korea's minister of patriots and veterans affairs but also as a Korean.
Even before becoming minister, I had a special connection with Colombia. In 2014 when I was the Navy chief, Korea gave the 1,000-ton patrol ship Anyang to the Colombian Navy free of charge. In January last year again, the country donated a corvette named Iksan. It is one of the reasons why I received a medal of appreciation from the Colombian Navy during the visit.
From the only Latin American country to dispatch troops to the Korean War, 5,100 soldiers bravely crossed the ocean. Unfortunately, the country suffered big sacrifices, including 213 killed and 448 wounded in action. Now most surviving veterans are in their 90s, like those in many U.N. Sending States. We don't have much time left to express our gratitude.
On the occasion of the state visit of Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez to Korea for the Korean-Colombian summit, two Colombian veterans came, too. The veterans are Guillermo Rodriguez Guzman who is the president of the Colombian Association of Veteran Officers (ASOVECOR), and Alvaro Lozano Charry, who is the president of the Colombian Veterans Association (ASCOVE), both of whom I earlier met in Colombia.
During their five-day visit, the two veterans visited the DMZ and the Seoul National Cemetery, and will visit the War Memorial of Korea to reminisce about the past 70 years and pay tribute to fallen comrades with whom they shared joys and sorrows during the war. They also expressed their impressions about the country, saying, “We are thankful to Korea's hospitality and really impressed to see the country's rise from the devastation of war to remarkable development.”
It is our duty to remember the veterans who risked their lives and protected the Republic of Korea, reciprocate their service and pass their legacy on to our future generations. In this regard, our government is doing its best to undertake international projects in veterans' affairs that help us remember the blood, sweat and tears of 1.95 million Korean War veterans from the 22 Sending States and express our gratitude.
For Colombia, the ministry provides monthly allowances to 200 descendants of the veterans in the country and scholarships to descendants who study in Korea. We also give scholarships to descendants of veterans from Ethiopia, the Philippines and Thailand, and host Peace Camps where descendants of Korean and Sending States veterans gather together and share friendship. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we sent face masks twice, 3 million masks in total, to Korean War veterans in the 22 Sending States and gained appreciation and praise from the international society.
In particular, during the International Conference of U.N. Sending States on Veterans Affairs held in November last year in Busan, participants adopted a joint declaration where they promised to collect wisdom together to inherit the noble sacrifice of U.N. veterans, prevent another war, and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and across the world.
I recall the words I heard from Colombian President Duque during my courtesy call in May: “Korea and Colombia are friends and brothers. We should work together for a bigger future. That's the meaning of the Colombia Battalion's participation to the Korean War.”
That's also why the ministry puts its priority on international projects. As the Republic of Korea's minister of patriots and veterans affairs, I will do my best to make the ministry as a bridge that connects Korea and the Sending States toward cooperation for a bigger future, like the state visit by the Colombian president that has expanded bilateral partnership and cooperation.
Hwang Ki-chul is the minister of patriots and veterans affairs.