Tag: heroes from afar

heroes from afar

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Joanne Doornewaard, ambassador of the Netherlands to Korea, in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on Dec. 3. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] Dutch troops volunteered on Korean War front line

It was a matter of sheer chance, but sometimes in the fleeting moments between battles, the enemy forces would turn a blind eye to allow the United Nations forces to collect the dead, recalled Antonius Johannes Kelders, a Dutch corporal during the...

2020.12.27

Greek Ambasasdor to Korea, Ifigeneia Kontoleontos, at the embassy in Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] Just after its own civil war, Greece came to South Korea's aid

With just a month left until the end of the Korean War, Greece’s Sparta Battalion was still knee-deep in mud at Outpost Harry, a hill northeast of Seoul that would provide enemy forces a direct route to the capital city if conquered. Over 13,000...

2020.12.20

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Ambassador of India to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily recently on India's participation in the Korean War, at the Embassy of India in Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] India's 'Bucket Brigade' was a life-saver for South Korea

Shortly after a unit of Indian paratroopers and medics arrived to support United Nations-led forces 70 years ago, they earned a nickname that would stick for the remainder of the Korean War. “Following the unit’s arrival in Busan on Nov. 20...

2020.12.13

Christian De Jesus, charge d’affaires of the Embassy of the Philippines, speaks to the Korea JoongAng Daily at the embassy in Seoul on Nov. 18. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] Filipino commander rescued stranded unit in Korean War, defying orders to save lives

Pitch dark was the night of April 22, 1951, that Pvt. Segundino Atrero and his fellow Filipino soldiers were ordered to fire at anything that moved. “Since it was so dark I [had] to rely on the sound and movements to fire at the target,” Pvt...

2020.12.6

Ambassador of Belgium to Korea Peter Lescouhier speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily on Nov. 3. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] Belgians arrived to help the South recapture Seoul

Upon hearing the news of a war breaking out thousands of miles away in 1950, a 24-year-old Belgian woman living in Liege with her parents wrote to the government. “I take the respectful liberty to write you to ask for your support for my candidacy...

2020.11.29

Australian Ambassador to Korea James Choi speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily on Oct. 26 at the embassy in Seoul.[PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] Australians, and their loved ones, sacrificed for Korea

For Olwyn and Charles Green, the Australian couple whose fate was sealed during World War II and brought to an abrupt end by the Korean War, their dedication to one another extended well beyond their vows to remain true "'til death do us part...

2020.11.15

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris. [U.S. EMBASSY IN KOREA]

[Heroes from afar] U.S. vets memorialized by Korean War Project

When Gen. James Van Fleet celebrated his 60th birthday in Korea in March 1952, he didn't know it would be the last time he'd see his only son. "[Capt.] James Van Fleet [Jr.] was a B-26B Invader pilot in the 13th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Group...

2020.11.1

Ambassador of Denmark to Korea, Einar Hebogard Jensen, speaks to the Korea JoongAng Daily at the embassy on Sept. 28. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] Denmark's medics, hospital ship saved countless lives

Eighty-one-year-old Kim Ju-whan has had Danish blood running in his veins for 67 years, ever since his near-death experience during the Korean War. “It was March 15, 1953, when I had a terrible accident at a railway in Incheon,” Kim told the Korea...

2020.10.25

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sam-duk speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the ministry's branch office in Seoul on Oct. 7. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] Korea's previously unheralded war veterans gaining recognition

Walking into Kim Jung-soo's room in Bucheon is like walking into a small research center on the Korean War. Ask any question about the 1950-53 conflict, and the 91-year-old veteran will pull out a book, binder or photo album and point to a...

2020.10.18

Philippe Lefort, ambassador of France to Korea, speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at his residence in central Seoul on Sept. 22. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[Heroes from afar] French, Korean soldiers forged close bonds during war

They ate with the French. Fought with the French. Rested in the same barracks as the French. They just didn’t speak French. “We did everything together, eat, train, fight in battles, wield the same weapons, wear the same uniform,” said Park...

2020.10.4