This weekend is the 69th anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation that turned the tide of the Korean War. It will be interesting to see who in the current Moon administration will take the time to attend any memorials to the U.S. troops that died executing the operation.
You can read more about the Incheon Landing Operation at the below link:
Some ruling party politicians in Busan are demanding an investigation into a tower that honors UN nations that fought for South Korea in the Korean War, because they think — hold your breath — it resembles Japan's rising sun flag https://t.co/LDqvJKnqCi pic.twitter.com/Q1kcGmPNnt
— Sam Kim 김혜성 (@samkimasia) August 12, 2019
This is good news for the families of Korean War veterans that were missing in action. Some of them may be notified this week that their family member has been identified:
Defense Department officials have identified 25 more missing servicemembers from the cases of remains turned over by North Korean officials last year, a major advance for dozens of families who have waited decades for closure in the deaths of their loved ones.
The identifications were first announced by Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday afternoon and later confirmed by officials at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency during their annual briefing to families of the Korean War, held in Washington D.C.
On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the news “A promise kept from the agreement between (North Korean) Chairman Kim (Jong Un) and President Donald Trump … to return all of our fallen heroes.”
DPAA officials said specific identifications will be made public in coming weeks, after family members have received formal notification from the individual services. Most of the service members identified are from the Army.Defense Department officials have identified 25 more missing servicemembers from the cases of remains turned over by North Korean officials last year, a major advance for dozens of families who have waited decades for closure in the deaths of their loved ones.
The identifications were first announced by Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday afternoon and later confirmed by officials at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency during their annual briefing to families of the Korean War, held in Washington D.C.
On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the news “A promise kept from the agreement between (North Korean) Chairman Kim (Jong Un) and President Donald Trump … to return all of our fallen heroes.”
Military Times
You can read more at the link.
This is a really good program that the South Korean government puts on every year:
South Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs hosted Munson and more than 100 other veterans and family members from 16 nations to express the South’s appreciation for the sacrifices made during the three-year war.
During the six-day revisit program that began Tuesday, the vets participated in numerous cultural events and tours, including a trip to the truce village of Panmunjom and other sites in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone.
They also laid white flowers on the headstones of fallen servicemembers at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in the southern city of Busan.
They were welcomed with a standing ovation and honored during the annual United Nations Forces participation day ceremony in Seoul, which was broadcast on national TV.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link.
The only way I could see ever holding any joint Korean War ceremony with North Korea is if the Kim regime acknowledges they started the war. Currently they continue to claim the ROK invaded North Korea to start the war despite all the evidence to the contrary. Sadly many South Korean leftists believe this claim:
The Defense Ministry is considering co-hosting a ceremony with North Korea next year to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War.
The inclusion of the North in such a ceremony is expected to lead to strong protests by families of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 war, which Pyongyang still insists was triggered by a South Korean invasion. It celebrates Armistice Day on July 27 as “Victory Day.”
In fact North Korean forces invaded the South, and miscalculations on both sides put the border back more or less where it was before after three years of bloodshed. The two Koreas remain technically at war.
A copy of a Defense Ministry report leaked to the Chosun Ilbo details various plans to mark the 70th anniversary. The ministry said the report was put together by a contracted agency and is simply a set of proposals, which it will “selectively consider.”
Chosun Ilbo
69 years ago today North Korea launched an all out attack on South Korea which ignited a conflict we call the Korean War. Sometimes referred to as “the Forgotten War” in the US, it is not forgotten here in the ROK. 1/5
— Robert Abrams (@DogFaceSoldier) June 25, 2019
Very cool introducing Gen. Abrams to Doran Clark Abrams, the granddaughter of Gen. Mark Clark, and her husband this week at the Korean War Veterans Appreciation Event. Gen. Abrams gave an inspiring speech and reaffirmed the US-ROK “ironclad alliance.” #Katchikapshida pic.twitter.com/tKxLrbWAsI
— Ned Forney (@NedForney) June 21, 2019
#KoreanHistoryToday: President Syngman Rhee unilaterally releases 27,312 prisoners of war who disavowed communism in 1953. This caused a major disruption in the ongoing armistice talks between the UN forces and the DPRK/PRC pic.twitter.com/EuJT1901fo
— KEI (@KoreaEconInst) June 18, 2019
Lotte to build #KoreanWar #Veterans Hall in Ethiopia, which sent 3,500 combat troops during the 1950-53 Korean War to help SK. It'll also establish a college fund for the vets' descendants. Lotte did the same in Thailand & Colombia, which also sent forces.https://t.co/3JADQechcW
— Tara O (@DrTaraO) June 11, 2019
Hopefully forensic investigators can quickly identify who the remains belong to:
South Korean search crews working in the heavily fortified border area found a skeleton believed to be from an American or French soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the defense ministry said Monday.
Stars & Stripes
The remains were unearthed Wednesday during an excavation project at the former battleground known as Arrowhead Hill, which is in the Demilitarized Zone that has divided the country since the war ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty.
The area was cleared of land mines in the fall as part of an inter-Korean agreement reached in efforts to improve relations between the two countries in connection with separate nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington.
You can read more at the link.
