Descendants of Korean War veterans have begun a trip around Korea.

Thirty two university students who are descendants of Korean War veterans and thirty three young people from 12 countries that sent forces to Korea during the war, such as the United States, Turkey, India, Canada, Ethiopia and the Philippines, attended an opening ceremony in the Yeouido Hangang Park, Yeouido, on 29 June. The young people will visit several places their forbears defended during the war. The schedule of the four-day event includes a visit to the demilitarized zone, Ulleungdo Island, Dokdo Island, Busan and the UN Peace Park in Chungcheongbuk-do Province, to learn about the hardships of the war and to better understand what the sacrifices their grandfathers made have brought to the country.



Before the official opening of the event, the second annual memorial ceremony to commemorate the battle of the Han River defense line was held bringing to light the significance of the Han River defense line in Korean war history. In the battle of the Han River defense line, the Han River was used as a line of defense to hold up for six days the invading North Korean forces that crossed the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. This gave the units that had been scattered by the sudden attack a chance to reorganize and allowed time to increase the U.S. Army presence and draw support from UN forces.

By Jeon Han, Yoon Jihye
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photos: Jeon Han, Korea.net Photographer
hanjeon@korea.kr