By Kang Seung-woo
The 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice will be marked with a variety of events.
The three-year war that started on June 25, 1950, ended in ceasefire on July 27, 1953.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) said Tuesday that it has invited special guests from 27 countries involved in the war to hold various ceremonies, aimed at expressing gratitude for their roles in the conflict.
On Thursday, the delegations will pay tribute to the Seoul National Cemetery.
They will also tour the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
On Sunday, they will visit the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan.
“The MPVA intends to take advantage of these events to pay respect to members of the U.N. allies in the Korean War and war veterans,” said an MPVA official.
The U.S. White House announced that Obama will observe the anniversary with a speech at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington.
“On Saturday, July 27, President Obama will deliver remarks at the Korean War Veterans Memorial,” it said in a statement.
Obama will be the first U.S. President to participate in such a formal ceremony to mark the Korean armistice. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will accompany Obama.
More than 36,000 American soldiers were killed in the war, with over 103,000 injured.
In addition, a five-member team of the U.S. delegation will be dispatched to the ceremony in Korea. They are Sung Kim, U.S. ambassador to Korea; Gen. James Thurman, commander of U.S. Forces Korea; James Zumwalt, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan; David Helvey, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, and Brig. Gen. David Stilwell, Strategic Plans and Policy Deputy Director for Asia at the Joint Staff.
President Park Geun-hye will send a delegation including Saenuri Party lawmaker Kim Jung-hoon, who chairs the National Policy Committee of the National Assembly, and Gen. Jung Seung-jo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In Pyongyang, the song-and-dance ensemble kicked off Monday at May Day Stadium to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the cease-fire agreement that ended military hostility in the war the pariah nation has claimed it won. The North calls July 27 “victory day.”
With more than 100,000 people estimated to be involved in the performance, the 90-minute show featured thousands of synchronized gymnasts, who performed to music, fireworks and flashing lights.