Yoon lauds sacrifice of UN veterans of Korean War

President Yoon Suk Yeol applauds veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War during a ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the armistice held at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Thursday. During the opening ceremony, Yoon greeted 62 U.N. veterans who fought for South Korea. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hun

By Lee Hyo-jin

• Published Jul 27, 2023 8:59 PM KST
• Updated Jul 28, 2023 3:25 PM KST

S. Korea commemorates 70th anniversary of armistice agreement

By Lee Hyo-jin

President Yoon Suk Yeol, Thursday, expressed gratitude to veterans and allied nations for their sacrifice and dedication to defend South Korea from communist forces during the 1950-53 Korean War.

“South Korea today stands on the shoulders of United Nations (U.N.) forces' sacrifices and dedication, on their blood-stained uniforms. The country was able to safeguard its freedom from the forces of communist totalitarianism through their sacrifices and dedication,” he said in a speech during a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

Signed on July 27, 1953, the armistice or ceasefire agreement halted fighting in the Korean War, which started with an invasion by the North. But the two Koreas are still technically at war. Throughout the three-year war, about 1.95 million soldiers from 22 countries fought for South Korea under the U.N. flag.

Yoon also underscored the current role of the United Nations Command (UNC) of maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula, while serving as a platform for allied nations to swiftly provide immediate military support to South Korea in the event of war.

“South Korea will never forget the gratitude towards the allied nations that rushed to help us in difficult times, putting their lives at risk,” Yoon said.

Marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement, a major ceremony was held in the port city of Busan to honor both the living and fallen heroes of the Korean War.

The event, attended by 4,000 government officials and guests including foreign and South Korean veterans, as well as their families and descendants, took place under the main theme of “Freedom by Dedication, Future by Alliance.”

About 170 government representatives from 22 countries that helped South Korea in the war, along with delegations from three neutral nations ― Switzerland, Poland and the Czech Republic ― were also invited, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

The ceremony was held at the Busan Cinema Center, a symbolic place as the venue was formerly an airport where Task Force Smith, a U.S. unit under the United Nations (U.N.) flag, first arrived in South Korea under a mission to protect the nation against North Korea's invasion.

Among the guests were 62 foreign veterans who fought under the U.N. flag.

During the opening ceremony, Yoon greeted the veterans who paraded down the “path of heroes,” escorted by honor guards of South Korea's Ministry of Defense and the United Nations Command.

The opening ceremony also featured a storytelling performance by an actor portraying a U.S. soldier about Task Force Smith's arrival in Busan. It was followed by a performance by the CBS Boys and Girls Choir, who sang “Thinking of My Brother,” which used to be sung by the Navy Children's Music Corps during the war.

Dame Cindy Kiro, governor-general of New Zealand, gave an opening speech, followed by a ceremony awarding two foreign veterans ― Donald Reed from the United States and late Thomas Colon Parkinson from Australia ― for their wartime service.

Colin Thackery, a veteran from the United Kingdom and Patrick Finn, an American veteran, took the stage to perform the Korean folk song “Arirang,” a tune he used to sing with his comrades during the war. The 93-year-old British veteran rose to fame after winning “Britain's Got Talent” in 2019.

Ahead of the landmark ceremony, the South Korean president, along with government representatives from the 22 countries, visited the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers. About 2,300 U.N. veterans from 11 countries are buried there, which is the only memorial cemetery for the U.N. forces in the world.

U.S. President Joe Biden proclaimed July 27, 2023 as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, stressing that the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which was formed in the wake of the Korean War, serves as the linchpin of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.

“On this day, I encourage all Americans to reflect on the strength, sacrifices, and sense of duty of our Korean War Veterans and bestow upon them the high honor they deserve. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor and give thanks to our distinguished Korean War Veterans,” he said in a proclamation released on Wednesday (local time).

Religious groups and civic activists held a commemorative event near Tongil Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi Province near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Thursday, where they read a letter from Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

“As the Korean people, and peace-loving communities everywhere, observe the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, I would like to reiterate my appeal that a peaceful, lasting solution be found for the crisis on the Korean Peninsula,” the letter read.

He also expressed hopes that the new generations in both South and North Korea do not forget that living in peace is in their mutual interest.