Jeong Kyung-doo Defense Minister: "Current Situation is Serious"

At the Commemoration Event for Colombian Troops in the Korean War, "We Pledge to Repay with Peace and Prosperity"

Minister Jeong emphasized in his congratulatory speech at the "Colombian Military 6.25 War Participation Commemoration Event" held on the morning of the 26th at the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, that "to create a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula, strong power, patience, and effort are necessary," adding, "The military is fully aware of the current situation and will strive to repay the dedication and sacrifice of the Colombian veterans who protected the Republic of Korea with peace and prosperity."

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du stated, "We will do our best to prevent tensions from escalating on the Korean Peninsula through maintaining a firm military readiness posture and situation management."

In his congratulatory speech at the 'Colombian Military Korean War Participation Commemoration Ceremony' held on the morning of the 26th at the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Minister Jeong said, "To create a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula, strong power, patience, and effort are necessary," adding, "The military is fully aware of the current situation and will strive to repay the dedication and sacrifice of the Colombian veterans who protected the Republic of Korea with peace and prosperity."

Minister Jeong also said, "We deeply mourn the Colombian veterans who sacrificed their lives defending the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea," and added, "Colombia was the only country in Latin America to dispatch combat troops during the Korean War." He further stated, "The government has delivered 40,000 masks, daily necessities, and nutritional supplements to Colombia," and "We plan to actively consider additional support as soon as the domestic COVID-19 situation stabilizes."

When the Korean War broke out, Colombia resolved to dispatch troops to defend democracy and participated with an infantry battalion and one frigate. The Colombian forces first arrived in Korea in May 1951 and remained stationed until March 1955, after the armistice agreement. The infantry battalion was assigned to the U.S. 7th Division and participated in fierce battles in areas such as Geumseong, Kimhwa, and Bulmo. During the war, approximately 5,100 Colombian Army soldiers and 300 Navy personnel set foot on Korean soil. Among them, 163 were killed in action, 69 went missing, and 448 were wounded.

To express gratitude to Colombia for its participation in the Korean War, the Republic of Korea Navy transferred a decommissioned naval combat ship that had protected Korean waters in 2014. This was the first case of a naval combat ship being transferred overseas free of charge. Colombia named the patrol ship 'Narino,' which was formerly the 'Anyang (PCC-755),' a patrol ship that served for 28 years protecting Korean waters from its commissioning in 1983 until its decommissioning in 2011.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.