By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
``I hope that the Koreans never again suffer the turmoil of war that they went through. I hope and pray there will never be another war in Korea," said George Newhouse, a British veteran and a former British prisoner of war (POW) in the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Newhouse, 86, is visiting Seoul together with more than 150 other foreign veterans from Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand to attend events hosted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Korea Veteran's Association.
On Wednesday, he was awarded an ``Ambassador for Peace'' medal from the host groups for his sacrifice in the Korean conflict. Before the ceremony, he sat down with The Korea Times to talk about fighting in the war, his hopes and concerns for this country, and his family's enduring relationship with Korea: His granddaughter has recently started studying at Yonsei University in Seoul.
This is the first time that Newhouse is visiting Korea since having fought in the Korean War. And as one can imagine, he said he can hardly believe what he's seeing. ``It's nothing like I've ever dreamed of or imagined. Things have changed a lot here in Korea and the changes are terrific. There is no question about that,'' he said.
``There are so many bridges over Seoul now, and all these fantastic buildings that have gone up in the district... this is terrific. It's great what Korea has done since the war and I am so happy for the Korean people.''
But he said he is also concerned that even now, more than half a century after the armistice, Korea still remains divided.
``I hope and pray there will never be another war in Korea. I know a lot of South Koreans were killed in the Korean War as well,'' Newhouse said.
He said he also would like to thank Koreans here for taking such a good care of the graves of fallen British soldiers. ``Many of our friends were killed. And very often, I think about them: what they would have been like and what lives they would have had if they weren't killed.''
The fight he most vividly remembers is the battle near the Imjin River in April 1951. He said more than 50 of his friends died during the fierce three-day battle.
He himself was captured as a POW in that battle and spent the next 32 months in a prison camp. ``We were outnumbered eight-to-one by the North Korean side, and we held them up for three days. Many of our friends were killed. That's when I was captured.''
And more than 50 years after fighting for South Korea, Newhouse's ties to this country are growing stronger than ever; he happily told The Korea Times that his 25-year-old granddaughter is now attending Yonsei University, on a scholarship provided by Samsung Group and Korea Veteran's Association.
``Of course, when I was fighting in the Korean War, I never could have imagined that one day my granddaughter would study at a university in Korea. It's nothing I could have imagined,'' he said.
Today, Newhouse and his fellow veterans will visit the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, where 885 British soldiers killed in the Korean War are buried.