6·25 War Mexican Veterans' Painted Records to Be Exhibited

President Moon Jae-in is saluting at the 70th Armed Forces Day ceremony held on the 1st at the Peace Plaza of the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A special exhibition for Mexican veterans of the Korean War will be held at the War Memorial of Korea.

On the 27th, the War Memorial of Korea announced that, in collaboration with the Embassy of Mexico in Korea, it will hold a special exhibition titled "I Returned from Korea" featuring Mexican veterans of the Korean War from the 28th until September 28th.

Mexico, a country that provided material and financial support during the Korean War, was not an official combatant nation. However, under the military service agreement between the United States and Mexico at the time, many Mexicans served in the U.S. military. It is estimated that over 100,000 Mexicans or Mexican-Americans participated in the Korean War as members of the U.S. armed forces.

The War Memorial of Korea stated that this exhibition was planned to draw attention to the Mexican veterans who fought as part of the U.S. military during the Korean War and to remember their dedication. The exhibition features artifacts such as war paintings drawn by the veterans themselves and telegrams containing news of injuries, along with the stories of the veterans behind these items.

Compared to other combatant nations in the Korean War, Mexican veterans represent the second largest group after the United States. Among them, 555 received medals from the U.S. military, highlighting their significant contributions to the Korean War.

The opening ceremony, held at 11 a.m. on the 28th, will be attended by Lee Sang-chul, Director of the War Memorial of Korea; Park Min-sik, Commissioner of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs; Bruno Figueroa, Ambassador of Mexico to Korea; and Chung Tak, President of POSCO.

Notably, Mexican veterans Sierra Barbosa Roberto, Fernandez Almada Alvero Jesus, and Lozano Bustos Antonio, along with their families, will attend. Since 2013, POSCO has supported commemorative projects for Korean War veterans and, as a company operating in Mexico, sponsored this exhibition and the visit of veterans and their families to Korea.

The War Memorial of Korea expressed hope that this exhibition will serve as a valuable opportunity to remember the sacrifices of the previously unrecognized Mexican veterans and to strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries.

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