South Korean students travel to Vancouver to honour B.C. war veterans
Despite heavy snow in the Lower Mainland on Wednesday, a group of university students from South Korea made it to the Seaforth Highlanders Armoury in Vancouver for a special event honouring B.C. veterans who fought in the Korean War.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the war which ran from 1950 to 1953. The 13 students met with veterans and the families of veterans who served during the conflict and the Canadian peacekeeping efforts which followed.
"We sent over around 27,000 service men and women. Women were in the Korean War," said Port Moody military historian Guy Black, explaining the scope of Canada's involvement in the struggle. After the war ended, Canadian forces were instrumental during the peacekeeping phase which ran until 1955.
"One of the men that came today ... He was the last Canadian commanding officer to leave Korea in 1956," said Black.
He had initially feared the inclement weather would stop the veterans and students from attending the ceremony but was pleased with the turnout.
The students gave speeches and sang a song honouring the veterans and their contribution to the events which drastically changed the Korean peninsula. Black, formerly a member of the armed forces himself, worked for a year to bring the students to Canada from Pukyong National University in Busan, South Korea.
The university is only a short walk away from the U.N. Memorial Cemetery, where Canadian soldiers are buried. Black first met the students during a ceremony he arranged at the cemetery in 2018.
"They came and supported the event ... and they said 'we want to come back and see you, and we want to meet Canadian veterans,' and I just thought I had to help them out," said Black.
"These are young kids that obviously were not in the war. But they wanted to come all the way to Canada to meet veterans. Totally amazing."
Due to the war, the Korean peninsula is divided between north and south. But Black said the students carry with them a hope for peace and reunification.
"In their heads, and in their hearts, is better friendship with the north," said Black.
Following the event at the armoury, Black and the students went to Mountain View Cemetery to lay wreaths at the graves of the British Columbia soldiers who fought in the war.
