Foreign veterans of Korean War to visit S. Korea next week

Defense 09:06 October 18, 2019

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- A group of foreign veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War will visit South Korea next week as part of a program to express appreciation for their service, Seoul's veterans ministry said Friday.

A total of 140 veterans and their families from 12 countries, including the United States and Britain, are scheduled to start a six-day trip Sunday, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

During the visit, they plan to take part in ceremonies to mark the sacrifice of soldiers during the war to be held in Seoul and the southern city of Busan, and tour major security sites, including the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the ministry added.

The program is intended to express South Korea's gratitude for their commitment and sacrifice, the ministry said in a release.

During the Korean War, nearly 2 million U.N. soldiers and more than 3,000 medics were sent to the Korean Peninsula to fight invading North Korean and Chinese soldiers, according to South Korean government data. Of them, 40,670 service persons were killed, 104,280 others were wounded and over 9,000 are still missing.