LG builds music studio for descendants of Ethiopian veterans of Korean War

Patriots and Veterans Affairs Vice Minister Kang Yun-jin, left, presents a plaque of appreciation to Jeong Su-heon, head of LG Sciencepark, during a ceremony at the facility in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of LG Group

During the darkest days of the 1950-53 Korean War, an elite contingent of Ethiopian soldiers traveled thousands of miles across oceans to defend a nation they had never known.

The Kagnew Battalion — whose name translates to "destroyers of the enemy" — compiled a legendary record on the central front, engaging in 253 battles with no prisoners of war surrendered. Today, the blood shed by those 6,000 soldiers remains a fundamental bedrock of Korea's modern peace and prosperity.

Seven decades later, that historical debt is being repaid through music. Korean electronics giant LG on Friday announced a comprehensive support program for the Kagnew Choir, a musical ensemble composed of third-generation descendants of the Ethiopian veterans. In collaboration with Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the nonprofit Warm Mind, LG will construct a state-of-the-art practice studio inside the Korean War Veterans Hall in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, equipped with soundproofing, audio systems and digital IT hardware.

Since its founding in 2018, the choir had operated without a permanent home. Rehearsals were frequently shuffled between temporary rooms and outdoor spaces, lacking even basic amplifiers or digital accompaniment tools. Despite those hurdles, the group emerged as cultural ambassadors, performing traditional Ethiopian music alongside Korean classics like "Arirang" at official state events.

The new studio solves the choir's largest operational bottleneck.

"There were so many times I felt heartbroken because we didn't have a proper space to practice," said Amen Buzayehu Tekalign, a choir member and a veteran's granddaughter. "Knowing we will finally have a place of our own where we can sing freely makes me deeply happy."

To celebrate the partnership, LG hosted the visiting choir at its LG Sciencepark innovation hub in Seoul. The company sponsored the group’s monthlong Korean tour, including airfare and living expenses, enabling them to perform at national commemorative ceremonies marking the anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

The initiative reflects a broader strategy of corporate stewardship spearheaded by LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. Beyond cultural support, LG has operated the LG-KOICA Hope TVET College in Ethiopia since 2014, providing free vocational and IT training to help descendants achieve economic self-reliance. Recognizing those decadelong contributions to veteran welfare and diplomacy, the Korean government presented LG with a formal plaque of appreciation Thursday.

For the young descendants of the Kagnew Battalion, the new studio represents far more than acoustic foam and sound equipment. It stands as a permanent stage to honor their grandfathers' sacrifices while composing a future of their own.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.