Dutch troops visit S. Korea to mark military unit's participation in Korean War

▲ Lt. Col. Tabe de Boer of the Netherlands' Regiment van Heutsz (L) and Choi Byung-soo (C), a South Korean veteran who was assigned to the unit during the 1950-53 Korean War, pose for a photo to mark a ceremony commemorating the Dutch unit's service during the conflict at the South Korean Army's 36th Infantry Division in Wonju, 87 kilometers east of Seoul, in this photo provided by the armed service. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Dutch troops-S Korea visit

Dutch troops visit S. Korea to mark military unit's participation in Korean War

SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- Active service members of a Dutch military unit sent to support South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War have visited the country to mark the unit's service during the conflict, the Army here said Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Tabe de Boer and some 20 personnel of the Royal Netherlands Army's Regiment van Heutsz attended a ceremony commemorating the unit's participation in the conflict held at the headquarters of the 36th Infantry Division in Wonju, 87 kilometers east of Seoul.

The visit was made on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the three-year war.

During the conflict, the unit took part in fierce battles in Wonju and the nearby county of Hoengseong after first arriving in the country on July 19, 1950.

More than 5,300 soldiers from the unit took part in the war, with 121 of them killed and over 400 wounded, while three went missing.

The ceremony was also attended by 90-year old Choi Byung-soo, a South Korean veteran who was assigned to the Dutch unit during the war.

Choi told the Dutch troops to never forget the meaning of sacrifice made by their unit during the conflict to uphold the values of freedom and peace, according to the Army.

The Netherlands is among the 22 countries that sent troops or other forms of support to back South Korea during the conflict.

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