Remember fallen UN soldiers

Minster of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sung-choon bows to the remains of British Korean War veteran Robert Steed Holman McCotter, which arrived at Incheon International Airport, Monday. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said the remains will be interred in the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan Wednesday ahead of the “Turn Toward Busan” ceremony, according to a will left when he died in his country in 2001. / Yonhap

`Turn Toward Busan' ceremony at 11 a.m., Nov. 11

By Jun Ji-hye

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will hold a “Turn Toward Busan” ceremony at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Wednesday, as a tribute to the U.N. soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.

The commemorative event calls for people across the globe to offer a one-minute silent prayer for the war dead by turning toward the South Korean port city at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. Sirens will sound out across the city.

The cemetery is the only place in the world where fallen U.N. servicemen are buried.

Minster of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sung-choon and Vincent Courtenay, a Canadian Korean War veteran, will participate in the event along with 1,000 other war veterans, their families, soldiers on active duty and citizens, the ministry said. Courtenay first inspired commemorative ceremonies to be held worldwide in 2007 to give silent tribute simultaneously to fallen U.N. soldiers.

According to the ministry, 40,670 servicemen of the 21 U.N. allied nations were killed during the conflict, with 104,280 wounded and 4,116 missing.

The 21 U.N. allied nations including the United States, Australia the United Kingdom and the Philippines will also observe a minute of silence in honor of those who had died in the Korean War and all other wars.

In Canada, a ceremony will be held in the capital city of Ottawa with joint organizers — the Korean War Veterans Association of Canada, Veterans Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defense and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.

“The Ottawa ceremony will be held at 9 p.m. on Nov. 10 there, so as to be synchronized with the ceremony in Busan,” said the ministry. “Some 200 participants including descendants of war veterans will participate.”

The Korean Embassy to the Republic of South Africa will also host the event with war veterans and families there at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 (local time).

The ministry said it has given efforts to promote the commemorative event with a slogan, “Moment to be one, turn toward Busan,” by establishing a website (www.turntowardbusan.com).

“Whoever around the world who takes part in a minute of silence for those killed during the Korean War can upload a photo showing their participation in the website,” the ministry said.

Since being first inspired by Courtenay in 2007, the event was upgraded to a government-level ceremony in 2008 and is being extended as an international event, according to the ministry.

This year’s event will also feature a burial ceremony of the remains of British Korean War veteran, Robert Steed Holman McCotter. The veteran will be the second to be laid to rest in the UNMC who died after the war ended following Frenchman Raymond Joseph Benard, who was buried in May.

After the event, some 2,500 people including war veterans who are visiting Korea at the invitation of the ministry will hold a parade around the port city, the ministry added.

Nov. 11 is an important day of commemoration for those lost in wars among many countries around the world, including the U.S. where it is celebrated as Veterans Day and the Commonwealth nations which mark it as Remembrance Day.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye