S. Korea to commemorate outbreak of Korean War this week

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will mark the 67th anniversary of the Korean War's outbreak this week with several commemorative events, bringing together war veterans at home and abroad.

The war broke out at dawn on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel, which was then the demarcation line between the two Koreas drawn by the United States and the Soviet Union following World War II.

The war lasted three years resulting in huge casualties before the 1953 Armistice Agreement suspended the conflict.

This year's official commemoration ceremony, to be held at Jamsil Stadium in southern Seoul on Sunday, will gather together some 5,000 participants, including foreign war veterans and envoys from countries that sent troops to fight for South Korea as part of allied United Nations forces, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

Similar commemoration events will also be held in regional cities and counties across the country, including concerts, photo exhibitions and pilgrimages to battlefields, the ministry said.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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