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| Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza Rosero speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Colombia Battalion in South Korea during the Korean War (1950-53), at Gyeongmyeong Park in Incheon, Wednesday. |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The Embassy of Colombia held a floral tribute in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Colombia Battalion in South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, at Gyeongmyeong Park in Incheon, Wednesday.
Gyeongmyeong Park is also known as “Colombia Park” since there is a monument dedicated to Colombian forces that took part in the war.
Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza Rosero paid tribute to the 5,100 soldiers and marines who arrived in Korea, June 16, 1951, and stood in solidarity with South Koreans as part of the U.S.-led U.N. forces. Colombia was the only Latin American country to send troops to Korea under its own flag.
Other attendees in the ceremony include Lee Nam-woo, vice minister of patriot and veterans affairs; Lee Jae-hyun, Incheon Seo District Office head; Choi Jong-wook, deputy director general for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and members of the Korean War Veterans Association of Incheon Seo District.
According to the embassy, the 5,100 soldiers made a journey of over 14,000 kilometers across the Pacific and arrived at the port of Busan. The ground troops fought in major battles such as Heukuntoryung, Kumsung and Bolmo Hill, leaving 143 men killed in action, 69 missing, 448 wounded in action and 28 as prisoners of war.
“This ceremony is of great significance, because it recognizes the importance of the 70 years since the arrival of Colombian forces to the Korean Peninsula, a symbol of the brotherhood and friendship between two nations that have persisted over the time,” the embassy said in a statement.
“Today this blood bond forged by these men represents an enduring relationship that projects a promising future between the two nations, evident from the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries, which have evolved from being allies during the war to being partners in fundamentals areas of cooperation such as entrepreneurship, innovation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
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