 |
| ▲ This undated composite image, provided by the veterans ministry on Nov. 7, 2023, shows late British and Colombian veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War -- Bryan James Laurenson (top, L), Brian Wood (top, C), Luis Carlos Garcia Ardila (top, R), Jose Gustavo Pascagaza Leon (bottom, L), Jose Sergio Romero (bottom, C) and Jorge Sanchez Tapia (bottom, R) -- to be buried at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Nov. 11. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) war veterans-burial
(LEAD) 6 British, Colombian veterans of Korean War to be laid to rest in Busan
(ATTN: ADDS more details in paras 2, 4-7)
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- The remains of two British and four Colombian veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War will arrive in South Korea this week to be interred at a memorial cemetery in the southeastern city of Busan, Seoul's veterans ministry said Tuesday.
The remains of the veterans will arrive at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, on Wednesday, three days before their burial at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of the capital, at their own or their family members' wishes, according to the ministry.
The British veterans to be interred are Bryan James Laurenson and Brian Wood, while the Colombian veterans are Luis Carlos Garcia Ardila, Jose Gustavo Pascagaza Leon, Jose Sergio Romero and Jorge Sanchez Tapia.
It will mark the first time for Colombian veterans of the war to be buried at the memorial cemetery.
Laurenson, who died in August last year at the age of 94, took part in the war from February 1952 to March 1953. He told his family before his death that he took great pride in his participation in the war, calling it an important moment in his life, the ministry said.
Pascagaza Leon, who died in May 2015 at 81, decided to take part in the war to help South Koreans even though he did not know where the country was, according to the ministry. He was deployed from September 1951 to April 1953.
His daughter said she and other family members decided to inter his remains in South Korea as he had told them he felt a part of him was Korean and he had expressed pride in his service, the ministry said.
Their remains will be temporarily kept at the Seoul National Cemetery in southern Seoul before being transferred to Busan.
Britain and Colombia were among the 22 countries that sent troops or gave medical aid to South Korea under the U.N. flag during the Korean War, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.
Britain dispatched a total of 81,084 troops, while Colombia sent 5,100 service members during the war, with 1,106 British personnel and 213 Colombian troops being killed in action, according to ministry data.
A total of 2,320 troops, including 890 British service members, are currently buried at the memorial cemetery in Busan.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
