Over 80,000 UK soldiers participated in Korean War

In the British Embassy Seoul located in Jung-gu, Seoul on Thursday, British Ambassador to South Korea Colin Crooks thanked the South Korean government for the memorial projects on the Korean War, which are being actively conducted in the U.K., prior to the 70th anniversary of the ceasefire. A monument to the Korean War gifted by the South Korean government in 2014 is standing between the River Thames and the U.K. Ministry of Defence building in London. An event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the ceasefire will be held next month with the attendance of over 2,000 war veterans in the Horse Guards Parade, a military training ground of the Royal Horse Guards of the U.K.

The Korean War was once considered a forgotten war in the U.K. The U.K. government decided to send its troops to South Korea despite the damages it experienced even after winning World War II. “It is far, but it is our duty to send troops,” the-then Prime Minister Clement Attlee said to those in the Cabinet opposing the decision on the grounds that South Korea is too far, showing strong determination. The veterans of the war faced unstable domestic situations, including an economic crisis, upon returning to their home country after the ceasefire in 1953.

“It is to protect freedom, democracy, and human values,” said Ambassador Crooks on the background of the U.K.’s decision to send troops. “South Korea is standing shoulder to shoulder with the U.K. and protecting such values. This is what the U.K. tried to protect 70 years ago.”

Crooks also worked as an ambassador to Pyongyang from 2018 to 2021, right before he was appointed as an ambassador to South Korea. He is the only diplomat in the world who worked as an ambassador to both Koreas. He introduced himself as the “last British to remain in North Korea” before the country shut down its borders due to COVID-19.

The U.K. sent 81,084 soldiers to the Korean War, the second largest number following the U.S., and 1,106 died at war. It is currently estimated that 600 to 700 Korean War veterans are living in the U.K.


newsoo@donga.com