Director General of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kim Kwang-woo (left) gives the Ambassador of Peace Medal, a medal awarded to Korean War veterans, to Burley Smith, one of the crew members on the U.S.’ SS Meredith Victory during the famous Hungnam Evacuation, on April 6.
By Kim Tae Won and Sohn JiAe
Photos = Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
President Moon Jae-in replied to a letter sent by a surviving crewman who was involved in the Hungnam Evacuation, an evacuation in 1950 during the Korean War to bring war refugees safely down south.
Burley Smith, 89, one of the crew members onboard the U.S.’ SS Meredith Victory which evacuated more than 14,000 refugees from Hungnam in what’s now North Korea down to Geojedo Island in Gyeongsangnam-do Province during the operation, sent a letter to the president on Jan. 22.
In his letter, Smith said that he learned that President Moon’s parents were among those refugees on his ship back then, and that he hoped to meet the president or anyone who knows about the Hungnam Evacuation during his visit to Korea in April.
President Moon expressed his gratitude in his reply, less than one month later on Feb. 20, saying that, “Without Smith and the other amazing crewmen who showed true seamanship during those ordeals, my parents would have not been able to arrive in Geojedo and I myself would not exist now.” The president also expressed his regret that he would not be able to meet Smith in person due to his tight schedule.
As he said in his letter, Smith took a two-day trip to Korea on April 5. He visited a monument to the Hungnam Evacuation at the Historic Park of the Geoje POW Camp on April 6 to pay his tributes to his fallen fellow sailors. He also met with two Koreans who were born on the ship at that time.
Meanwhile, the Hungnam Evacuation is a historical event that took place in December 1950. In the operation, more than 100,000 war refugees were evacuated to Geojedo Island from the North. The SS Meredith Victory was the last ship that left Hungnam Port on Dec. 23, 1950, unloading all its supplies and, instead, taking onboard more than 14,000 refugees.
During his visit to the U.S. in July last year, President Moon described the operation as “a Christmas miracle,” as he revealed the fact that his parents were among those onboard the ship.
Burley Smith, a crew member onboard the SS Meredith Victory in the famous Hungnam Evacuation, receives a commemorative President Moon Jae-in watch on April 6 during a welcoming ceremony for the war veteran takes at Geojedo Island.
twkim0717@korea.kr
