Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Xavier Bettel on July 2 explains the significance of the exhibition “Luxembourg’s Volunteers in the Korean War” in remembering his compatriots who took part in the conflict at the event’s opening ceremony held at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu District.
By Yoon Sojung
Photos = Jeon Han
Video = Lee Jun Young and Park Daejin
“85 freedom fighters”
This refers to the 85 Luxembourg veterans of the Korean War in 1951 who volunteered to fight solely for peace but had no knowledge of where Korea was.
In September 1950, young Luxembourg men volunteered to fight in the war through recruitment by the Luxembourg military and from media outlets. In December of the same year, the soldiers embarked on a long journey of more than 22,000 km by land and sea that ended in Busan in late January 1951.
In March 1952, a second batch of Luxembourg soldiers arrived in Korea. These men made great contributions in a series of battles such as that of the Imjingang River, with two killed and 13 injured.
To commemorate their sacrifice and devotion to peace, the exhibition “Luxembourg’s Volunteers in the Korean War” on July 2 was opened at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu District. To run through Sept. 29, the event is co-hosted by the memorial and the Luxembourg Embassy in Seoul to mark the latter’s opening in Seoul this month.
Luxembourg is a small country about twice the size of Korea’s tourist island of Jeju. Considering its population of around 200,000 in the 1950s, the European state sent the largest contingent of troops relative to its population size among the 22 countries in the Allied effort.
The Korean War is also the only armed conflict Luxembourg has taken part in.
The exhibition chronicles Luxembourg’s journey from deciding to participate in the war to the arrival of its soldiers on Korea soil, as well as collaboration between Belgian and Korean soldiers, stories of veterans after they returned home in January 1953, and the development of diplomatic ties between both countries.
Among the some 60 items displayed are soldier declarations of voluntary enlistment, handwritten letters to their home country, photo albums, medals and military uniforms.
An eye-catching item is a diary kept by the late veteran Gilbert Hauffels, who fought in the Battle of Baengmagoji, one of the fiercest in the conflict. His will requested that the folk song “Arirang” be played at his funeral, something that was done in May last year after his passing with media coverage.
High-ranking officials from Korea and Luxembourg attended the exhibition’s opening ceremony including Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Xavier Bettel; Minister for Digitization and Minister for Higher Education and Research Stephanie Obertin; Benoit Niederkorn, director of the National Museum of Military History of Luxembourg; and the European country’s inaugural ambassador to Korea Jacques Flies.
From the Korean side were Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Jung-ai and War Memorial of Korea President Baek Seung-Joo. They were joined by foreign diplomats based in Korea.
Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Jung-ai on July 2 delivers a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony for the exhibition “Luxembourg’s Volunteers in the Korean War” at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu District.
Minister Bettel said, “Liberty is something we should never take for granted; we should fight for it,” urging people to remember the sacrifices of young Luxembourgers who volunteered to fight in the war.
“The reason young people from not only Luxembourg but also other countries like the Philippines and Turkey participated in the war was because they all share the same values although they live in different continents and had different backgrounds or origins,” he added. “Let us celebrate and honor the past, prepare together for a better future and share friendship.”
He called 2024 a meaningful year since Korea and Luxembourg exchanged embassies in each other’s capitals, dubbing it “proof of deep relations between both countries.”
Minister Kang praised Luxembourg’s participation in the war, saying, “The dedication of Luxembourg veterans was an important force defending the Republic of Korea from invasion by communist forces.”
“The Republic of Korea government will do its best to remember the Luxembourg heroes who protected liberal democracy, pass on their noble spirit of sacrifice and love for humanity in the world of tomorrow, and reinforce our friendship with Luxembourg.”
In the evening, another ceremony at the hotel Shilla Seoul in the capital’s Jung-gu District marked the opening of the Luxembourg Embassy in Seoul. Attendees included leading figures from Korea such as former Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin and diplomats from over 30 countries to celebrate the opening of both the exhibition and the embassy.
Opened on July 2, the exhibition “Luxembourg’s Volunteers in the Korean War” features about 60 items related to Luxembourg’s participation in the Korean War, the long journey that soldiers made to arrive in Korea, their collaboration with comrades from Belgium and Korea, stories of veterans after they returned home, and the history of ties and friendship between both countries. Shown is Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Xavier Bettel on July 2 looking at a display featuring the late Luxembourg veteran Gilbert Hauffels, whose handwritten war diary is part of the exhibition.
High-ranking officials from Korea and Luxembourg including Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Xavier Bettel (third from right) and Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Jung-ai (second from right) pose for photos while cutting the ribbon to open the exhibition “Luxembourg’s Volunteers in the Korean War” at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul.
arete@korea.kr
