South korea: South Korea will hold an annual ceremony this weekend to honor U.N. forces who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans ministry said Friday. The ceremony marking the Korean War U.N. Veterans Day will be held Sunday in Ilsan, just north of Seoul, coinciding with the 72nd anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the three-year conflict, according to the ministry.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the event will bring together around 1,000 people, including U.N. veterans from countries that include the United States, Britain, Canada and Ethiopia. Some 1.98 million personnel from 22 countries were dispatched to South Korea during and right after the war under a U.N. mandate to fight alongside South Korea against North Korea's aggression. More than 40,000 of them died, with 3,950 others missing, according to veterans ministry data.
During this year's ceremony, South Korea will confer government awards on three individuals, including the late U.S. veteran Cpl. Fred McGee and the Canadian veteran Kyle Scott, according to the ministry.