A mission party led by Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Warren Snowdon will travel to South Korea tomorrow to participate in commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of major engagements of the Korean War.
 
Mr Snowdon said he had selected eight representatives of the Korean veteran community to participate in the six-day mission that would include several commemorative activities and visits to key battle sites including Kapyong and Maryang San.
 
“This will be my first time to Korea and for some of the veterans it will be their first time returning to Korea since they served there 60 years ago. It’s going to be an emotional journey for all and I am very privileged to be able to share it with a very deserving group of people,” he said.
 
“The visit will include a commemorative ceremony at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea, Busan, for the 43 Australian servicemen listed as missing in action in the Korean War, and a United Nations Day Ceremony with other nations.
 
“The Mayor of Busan, Hur Nam-sik, will host a special lunch for the mission party, who will also attend a reception hosted by the Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs counterpart, the South Korean Ministry of Patriots’ and Veterans’ Affairs.
 
“The group will participate in wreath laying ceremonies at Australian and United Nations memorials, dedicated to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who served in Korea, at the sites of where Australians fought and died in some of the most crucial and fiercely-fought engagements of the War.
 
“The group will visit the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission in Panmunjom, the site of where the Armistice was signed in July 1953, and the Demilitarised Zone – separating North Korea from the South.
 
“They will also visit the Korean War Memorial and lay a wreath at the National Cemetery, to commemorate the estimated 750,000 South Korean soldiers and civilians who died in the War,” Mr Snowdon said.
 
More than 17,000 Australians served in the Korean War and post-Armistice until 1957. Of those 340 lost their lives during the war and 18 more died in the post-Armistice period, more than 1,200 were wounded, 30 became prisoners of war and 43 were listed as missing in action.
 
The Korean War was a significant event in Australia’s military history – marking the first collective military action by the United Nations, an organisation of which Australia had been a founding member.
 
“Australian sailors, soldiers, airmen and nurses won international respect for their courage, endurance and professional skills in Korea,” Mr Snowdon said.