Korean War lecture revisits 1951 British Stand at Imjin River

Yeol is holding a lecture on June 1, where Andrew Salmon will give a talk titled `` To the Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the Imjin River, Korea, 1951.''

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, a holocaust that tore apart families and communities, marked the advent of China as a superpower, demonstrated the limits of U.S. power and left the peninsula devastated.

Central to this war was its greatest attack, when, on the night of April 22, 305,000 Chinese and North Korean troops surged south.

Their aim: wipe out major U.N. units and seize Seoul by May Day. At the critical breakthrough point on the Imjin River, stood the Anglo-Belgian 29th Infantry Brigade.

For three nights, outnumbered 7-1, they held fast against China's 63rd Army. On April 25, the entire U.N. line moved back. In a death ride down a valley swarming with enemy, 29th Brigade fought free. But for one unit, it was too late.

Surrounded three miles inside enemy territory, the survivors of the Gloucester Battalion regrouped for a last stand on a napalm-scorched hilltop.

Their tragedy would capture the imagination of the world. This lecture, illustrated with photographs and paintings ― many unpublished ― will ignore politics and, instead, discuss the war as experienced on the ground.

It will cover events leading up to the battle; the tactics of both sides; and run an audio-visual presentation.

Given the strategic significance of the action and the numbers of casualties ― Imjin River remains the bloodiest battle fought by British troops since World War II.

Salmon believes that the sacrifice in April 1951 is the most significant contribution the United Kingdom has made to Korea in a relationship that dates back to 1797.

The British lecturer is a graduate of the University of Kent and the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

The lecture will run from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the second floor Seminar Room at the Seoul Museum of History, Shinmunro. It costs 10,000 won payable in advance or on the door.

To register send your name and contact details to yeol400@paran.com and payment should be made to Hana Bank account no. 145-910001-76804 (YEOL) upon registration confirmation.