Ambassadors share Korean War tales for UN Culture Week

Guests take part in a "Thanks to You" performance during the opening ceremony of the first U.N. Culture Week at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul, Oct. 19. Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Ambassadors to Korea from Poland, Colombia and Mexico have shared their respective countries' stories related to the 1950-53 Korean War as part of the first U.N. Culture Week at the War Memorial of Korea.

The War Memorial hosted an event for U.N. Day, which fell on Oct. 24, at the culmination of U.N. Culture Week that ran from Oct. 19 to 23, commemorating the 71st anniversary of the start of the war and the 30th anniversary of Korea's U.N. membership.

"The U.N. supported the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea, and the United Nations Command's dispatch to the Korean War signifies the world's first and only case of collective security under the U.N. system,” War Memorial of Korea Director Lee Sang-chul said during an opening ceremony for the event, Oct. 19.

“We hope to express gratitude and create peace beyond the memories of war through the U.N. Culture Week.”

On Wednesday, Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski shared the story of his country's participation during the Korean War and afterward as one of the countries forming the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), which supervised the implementation of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

Ambassador Ostaszewski gave a glimpse of what Polish people think about the Korean War through the documentary “Kim Ki Dok," which features North Korean orphans taken care of by Polish people after the war.

Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza traced how the bilateral relationship evolved from the Colombian veterans who fought in the Korean War 70 years ago to the Korea-Colombia FTA, which came into effect five years ago.

Currently, the War Memorial of Korea presents "Gracias Colombia 2021" in collaboration with the Embassy of Colombia to commemorate the participation of the South American country that dispatched ground and naval forces.

Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa, center, speaks during the Ambassador Talk session as part of U.N. Culture Week events at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul, Oct. 22. Courtesy of War Memorial of Korea

Mexico is a Central American country that fought in the Korean War, but Mexican veterans were not recognized until recently as they fought in the U.S. army.

"They lived through the trauma of a terrible war and no one congratulated them for having been heroes who fought for democracy and freedom," Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa said during the Ambassador Talk session, Friday.

The Mexican Embassy in Korea and the Korean Embassy in Mexico joined hands to locate Mexican Korean War veterans on the 70th anniversary of the war last year. Their effort led to the establishment of the Korean War Veterans Association in Mexico.

The embassy plans to hold an exhibition of Korean War veterans from Mexico at the War Memorial of Korea next year.

"I am very grateful for the opportunity to host an exhibition on the soldiers of Mexican origin in the Korean War. You can learn a lot about them," Figueroa said.