70th anniversary of Korean War: Foreign veterans visit S. Korea for first time since 1950s
정전 70주년, 전쟁 이후 대한민국 땅을 밟은 외국인 참전용사들 This weekend, June 25th marks the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War that ended in an armistice 70 years ago. On this occasion, veterans from different countries who fought to defend South Korea's freedom and democracy gathered again in this country. Having met some of them, our Choi Soo-hyung delivers their stories. "Fight for freedom, no need to explain." This said by foreign veterans and war-bereaved families when asked why they fought in the Korean War. A special event was held on Wednesday at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul to commemorate the 70th anniversary the Korean War's armistice. It was originally supposed to be held in June 2020 but was delayed because of the pandemic. 47 people attended, including six veterans from overseas. At the Roll of Honor Hall, there was a moment of silence and, the war heroes paper rubbed the names of those they had fought in the war with. "From the Korea, I left in 1952 to what it is today, it's just mind-boggling but I'm very pleased and proud and happy that the Korean people for those 70 years have urged as the 10th strongest economy in the world that that is a source of joy and pleasure to all of us who served here." Another veteran, Lewis Vaughn, talked about the transformation South Korea has gone through since. "I have not been back here since 1955 and this country has done so much to rebuild itself. And I thought for a long time that it might not have been worth it, but I know it now that it's really worth it that you folks have done a phenomenal job." The son of a U.S. Marine who died in combat wept while listening to his father's friends reminiscing about him. "This is such an awesome opportunity to see the results and how well the Korean people have progressed to become, I believe, the 10th largest powerhouse in the world. Worth it all, it's all worth it." They also pointed at places on the map where the most intense battles had taken place such as in Yanggu-gun County in Gangwon-do Province, close to the border with North Korea. Officials from the war memorial said they are going to keep inviting veterans and their families to events like this as much as possible and said that it is our "duty" to remember their sacrifice. These veterans and their legacy of protecting South Korea's freedom will never be forgotten forever. Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News. #KoreanWar #Veteran #Freedom #Democracy #Armistice #Overseas #한국전쟁 #625전쟁 #참전용사 #방한 #자유 #민주주의 #정전 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : / arirangtvnews 📣 Twitter : / arirangtvnews 📣 Homepage : https://v2.arirang.com/ 2023-06-22, 18:00 (KST)
