The Forgotten 'Filipino Fighters' of the Korean War

Before the Korean cultural wave, the Philippines was already tied to Korea—this time through blood and battle instead of K-dramas and K-pop.

A few years after World War II ended, it was North Korea's turn to stoke conflict when it started invading beyond the 38th parallel into Southern territories. Four months later, United Nations forces intervened successfully to seize the city of Pyongyang from North Korea. It was a ceasefire that happened in October 1950, which we still recognize to this day. Filipinos weren’t involved in the conflict, but joining the UN’s 16-country coalition to aid the South is one of the first foreign policy decisions of the Philippines after the Second World War ended.

There were approximately 7,000 Filipino volunteers placed in five battalion combat teams (BCT) that arrived a few months back in Korea, August of 1950. It was President Quirino who empathized with their cause and encouraged our people to answer their call for help. A documentary produced by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines entitled, March of the Valiant, affirms this through Korean War veterans who spoke highly of the late president being the inspiration for their participation. Quoting Quirino when he sent his remaining family members to the front, “In defense of democracy, I submit my own blood.”

See more at: https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/fighting-filipinos-in-korean-war-a2668-20211029?ref=home_feed_1