Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man and Minister Park Sam-duck of Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) thanked Filipino soldiers who fought in the Korean War.
The Philippines was the first Asian country and the third in the world after the US and the United Kingdom to send troops to South Korea after it was invaded by North Korea on June 25, 1950.
This year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War and to commemorate the event, the Korean Embassy in the Philippines, along with South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, Korean Cultural Center, and MPAV recently held the “2020 Philippine Korean War Virtual Conference: Revisiting the Philippines in the Korean War 70th Anniversary.”
A total of 7,420 Filipino soldiers served in Korea from 1950 to 1955, until the end of the Korean War in 1953 and until 1955, consisting of five Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) under the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK).
“On September 19 seven decades ago, brave young Filipinos crossed the ocean or the Republic of Korea without hesitation, rather than turning away from Korea that was suffering from the war,” said Minister Park in a message.
He added, “In addition, after the Armistice Agreement was signed, the Philippines helped Korea rebuild itself. Even afterwards, the Philippines had contributed to maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula with the presence of its troops at the United Nations Command.”
“The Republic of Korea will never forget the 22 US sending states, including the Philippines, and the UN veterans of the Korean War,” he added.
Ambassador Han, who was recently awarded the Order of Sikatuna by President Rodrigo Duterte, said, “When the Korean War erupted in 1950, the Philippines was the very first Asian country to lend a helping hand with over 7,000 soldiers including former President Ramos.”
“I strongly believe that Korea would not be enjoying peace, democracy, and economic prosperity without the great sacrifice of the Filipino Korean War veterans,” he said.
Filipino soldier Maj. Maximo Young, 98, member of the 10th BCT, recalled that “the moment you removed your socks, your skin would fall off,” referring to spending winter in Korea during the war.
“The Korean war has become a forgotten war for today’s 100 million Filipinos, but for the veterans then it was defining event of their lives,” said Usec. Ernesto Carolina, administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, during the event.
Lectures were provided by Prof. Ricardo Jose of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Department of History, Dr. David O. Lozada III of the Ateneo de Manila University, and Neville Jay Manaois. They discussed the importance of incorporating the Korean War in Philippine school curriculum and how best to approach it.
Manaois said that now is an opportune time to teach about the Korean War given the heightened interest of Filipinos in Korean history and way of life due to the popularity of Korean Wave or Hallyu.