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South Korea honors Filipinos who fought in Korean War on 70th anniversary

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/12/10/korean-war-veterans.jpg"/><figcaption>Korean War veterans, the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man commemorate Filipino-Korean Veterans Memorial Day at the Korean War Memorial Pylon inside the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City, September 9, 2019. <em>From the PVAO website</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — South Korea recently honored Filipinos who fought during the Korean War, citing their contributions to bringing peace and economic prosperity to the country 70 years since the conflict.</p><p>In an event commemorating the war, South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man expressed gratitude to Filipino war veterans for their help.</p><p>“Korea would not be enjoying peace, democracy, and economic prosperity without the Korean War veterans,” he said in a statement.</p><p>Some 7,500 Filipino fighters were sent to the Korean Peninsula to support United Nations Forces in 1952- the first foreign war the Philippines fought. Philippine troops- who fought alongside soldiers from 15 other nations under the UN command- were sent there just seven years since the end of World War 2, which had left their homeland in ruins.</p><p>Among those who fought in the war were former president Fidel V. Ramos. A total of 112 Filipinos lost their lives.</p><p>In his message, the Korean envoy cited how the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is no different from a war against an invisible enemy, but that it is “something that we can overcome together with cooperation, helping one friend to another.”</p><p>Philippine Veterans Affairs Office Administrator Ernesto Carolina, meanwhile, cited the valor of Filipino soldiers sent to the frontlines in a foreign land to fight for freedom and democracy.</p><p>“The Korean war has become a forgotten war for today’s 100 million Filipinos, but for the veterans then it was [the] defining event of their lives,” Carolina said.</p><p>During the event, history professors Ricardo Trota Jose from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and Ateneo de Manila University’s David Lozada III and Neville Jay Manaois discussed the significance of incorporating the Korean War in school curricula and how best to approach it.</p><p>Manaois said it is time to teach about the Korean War in Philippine schools given the interest of Filipinos in Korean history and way of life.</p><p>While fighting ended in the Korean Peninsula in 1953, South Korea and North Korea remain in a frozen conflict to this day, with periodic tensions largely due to threats from the north&#x27;s reclusive regime.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jRv5kUriKDo?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>In its 70-year mark, authorities from South Korea recently honored the Filipino who fought with them during the Korean War.</p>

In its 70-year mark, authorities from South Korea recently honored the Filipino who fought with them during the Korean War.