South Korea is commemorating its 56th Memorial Day on June 6th.
The Korean War commenced on June 25th 1950, and June is thus marked as the National Security month in South Korea. Every year people pay tribute to those who fought against the North, and visit the decades-old battlegrounds to remind themselves of the bravery and sacrifices of those who died defending this country.
21 countries - US, UK, Turkey, etc. - dispatched their troops to aid the South fend off the invading North, and after 3 years of gruelling effort they succeeded in driving them off. The ROK-UN coalition force lost 178,000 men and suffered 776,000 casualties.
Numerous memorial monuments are constructed across the nation to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives for the country. Remains of 2,300 UN troops are buried in Busan UN Memorial Park, where condolers visit to pay tribute to the deceased.
During this year's ceremonies, grandson of a Turkish soldier - who is currently studying in South Korea - expressed his love for his grandfather and for South Korea, bringing tears to many around him. He shared his grandfather's grief over the loss of his comrade at the Yanggu-battle in Gangwon Province, whose remains now rests in the Busan UN Memorial Park. He visited the park himself and paid tribute to the deceased.
We hope that his dream of becoming a diplomat becomes a reality here in South Korea, where his grandfather sacrificed his life for liberty.
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