President Park Geun-hye attended a commemoration ceremony on the 65th anniversary of Ethiopia's participation in the Korean War, held at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Addis Ababa on May 27. She met with Ethiopian veterans and expressed her appreciation for their sacrifices and suffering.

"With courage and a will for victory that never failed, the Ethiopian veterans never lost, and they made great contributions to an endangered Korea," said the president. Thanking the veterans for their sacrifices, which eventually gave Korea a basis to overcome war and its ruins, she said, "Korea and its people will remember forever the veterans who had to endure physical and mental post-war difficulties and who nonetheless showed their affection for Korea."

The president said that the Korean government would make continuous efforts to expand bilateral relations with Ethiopia and maintain the friendship between the two countries, all while working toward world peace. She promised more considerate support for the veterans and the bereaved, as well.



Ethiopia was the only African country to participate in the United Nations action that sent ground forces to the Korean War. Emperor Haile Selassie I sent to Korea a battalion that was composed mainly of royal guards. The emperor named the unit the Kagnew Battalion, which means "defeat" in Amharic. The Kagnew Battalion engaged in combat around 250 times, won every encounter as both aggressor and defender, and no Kagnew soldier ever surrendered.

To repay Ethiopia and to reward the soldiers for their sacrifices and contributions, today's Korean government and other private organizations have been providing financial support to Ethiopian veterans, for both their livelihood and for scholarships for their descendants, since 1996.

By Chang Iou-chung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Cheong Wa Dae
icchang@korea.kr