StudentCorner Brave Canadian veterans of Korean War

By Kim Ji-soo

Lately, I had a chance to watch video clips of Korean figure skater Kim Yuna competing. She won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver on February 25, 2010.

The video made me emotional again as I was back then. One of the most impressive sights I saw in the video was all the Canadian spectators congratulating her victory and sharing the delight with one another as if a Canadian figure skater won the gold medal.

However, it was not the first contact between Canada and Korea. Canada took part in the Korean War on the Allied side to help Korea fight against North Korea. And South Korea and Canada formed a more valuable friendship than Yuna’s gold medal.

I think I must thank Canada with all my heart for helping Korea defeat the communist invaders and defend democracy for my country, which otherwise might have become a communist nation.

Thanks to the sacrifice of young Canadians with passion, who had no good reason to fight for a small Asian country, we were able to defend liberty, design the future, and get the glory of Yuna’s victory in the Olympic Games.

Thanks to the U.N. allies’ military aid, we could keep our country despite mainland China’s military assistance to North Korea. But there were a lot of sacrifices in the process of the U.N. allies’ counterattack on the North.

I can feel how much you were scared on the bloody land then. You gave all you had, even your lives, that otherwise might have enjoyed a secure future, to people you had never seen before.

What if I had been dispatched to a country to fight for a people I did not know? I might have objected to going there.

However, you, Canadian veterans of the Korean War, were willing to go to a faraway country and fight, against your families’ wishes and giving up your futures. In this regard, I have a deep respect for you.

We often forget the sacrifices made by the U.N. allied soldiers who unconditionally fought for our country. Whenever I encounter a glorious event like Yuna’s, however, I will always remember their efforts and sacrifice.

Furthermore, just as Canada helped Korea when we were in a helpless situation, I will make as much effort as I can to give aid to countries suffering from civil war and conflicts. That would allow the countries the prosperity which will lead to the birth of another Kim Yuna.

Although Koreans went through atrocities and suffering in the Korean War, I think we did not just fight, but also struggled to keep liberty. We lost lose lives but achieved the value of freedom which is worth risking them.

Thus, the happiness we enjoy today should definitely be shared by you and us. Without you, the veterans and aid from Canada, nobody would know what Korea might be like today.

I would like to show all my thanks to you veterans and your family members as well as those killed in the Korean War, who never had an opportunity to sing the joys of their youth. We Koreans will keep in mind the righteousness and sacrifice that you and your country made for us in the Korean War.

Kim Ji-soo is attending SungKwang Girls’ High School in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan.