Moon himself is testament to alliance
By Ned Forney
Ned Forney
He was born in 1953 at a refugee relocation center off the coast of his war-torn country. His childhood and adolescent years were filled with poverty. Despite constant struggles and hardships, he worked his way through high school and university and became a civil rights lawyer.
And now, 67 years after his parents’ escape from communism, Moon Jae-in, the son of North Korean refugees, is President of the Republic of Korea.
In a much-anticipated five-day event, Moon Jae-in arrived in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, for his inaugural visit to the U.S. as head of state. His first stop was the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
In a small — approximately 50 attended — and emotional ceremony, Moon laid a wreath at the newly constructed Chosin Reservoir Memorial and gave a heartfelt message of praise and gratitude for the Chosin Battle veterans and those who participated in the Hungnam Evacuation.
The Battle of Chosin, a two-week-long succession of attacks and counterattacks in the winter of 1950, involved thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Chinese. During the battle, U.S. Marines and soldiers, trapped in the snow-covered mountains of North Korea, fought viciously to defend their positions. The Chinese, determined to annihilate them, fought just as hard.
Against overwhelming odds, the Marines “attacked in another direction,” making their way 70 miles to the coast — to Hungnam — where ships were waiting to take them to safety — and freedom.
The ensuing Hungnam Evacuation, in addition to being a military withdrawal of men, vehicles and equipment, was also the largest American military amphibious evacuation of civilians under combat conditions in U.S. history.
Nearly 100,000 North Korean refugees were rescued — Moon’s parents among them.
Prior to the ceremony, Moon spent 30 minutes talking individually with U.S. Marine Chosin veterans: Bob Lunney, an officer who served aboard the SS Meredith Victory at Hungnam; Helen Hyun-Bowlin, the daughter of Hyun Bong-hak, the Korean doctor who pleaded with U.S. officials to rescue the refugees at Hungnam; Tom Fergusson, the grandson of Gen. Edward Almond, the commander of X Corps; and myself, the grandson of Colonel Edward H. Forney, the control officer of the Hungnam Evacuation. It was an emotionally charged and intimate meeting, one we will ever forget.
Moon’s visit to the museum was a powerful, personal testimony to his gratitude for America’s role in saving his parents’ lives. In his speech — like the one delivered last week to Korean War veterans in Seoul — he emphasized his deep appreciation for the U.S.’s role in helping defend South Korea from communism during the war and reaffirmed his country’s strong alliance with the U.S.
Moon is now hoping his message — both symbolic and spoken — will set the stage for a productive summit. With heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, growing anger in the U.S. over Kim Jong-un’s continued missile tests and the recent death of 22-year-old University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier, there’s a lot at stake.
All eyes are on Washington.
Ned Forney, a U.S. Marine veteran, lives in Seoul and is writing a book about the Battle of Chosin and Hungnam Evacuation. He attend Wednesday’s event at the National Museum of the Marine Corps as a guest of the ROK Ministry of Patriots and Veteran’s Affairs. He can be reached at Ned@nedforney.com.