Just a week after Americans took time to remember their fallen war dead for Memorial Day, South Koreans did the same June 6, commemorating the nation's 61st Korean Memorial Day.
Traveling from Los Angeles, California, to Seoul, South Korea, Kim Ae Soon and her daughter's family made a trip to Seoul National Cemetery for the Memorial Day weekend to visit Kim's brother who died during the Korean War, and her husband, who is also buried at the cemetery.
"My brother was commissioned as a lieutenant in the spring of 1950 and died in battle in October, 1950," said Kim. "When he moved to Busan for the basic combat training, my family didn't get to say good-bye to him. Later, we received a letter saying that he was killed in action."
The day was designated to honor fallen Soldiers and civilians of South Korea and allied nations, who sacrificed their lives for the Republic of Korea. Since 1956, South Koreans have observed every 6th of June as Memorial Day.
The month of June is historically significant in South Korea as the Korean War began on Sunday, June 25, 1950, and lasted for three years until the Armistice Agreement was signed July 27, 1953.
During the Korean War, more than 370,000 South Korean and 36,000 U.S. Soldiers were killed, and more than 550,000 were wounded, along with more than two million civilians killed or wounded, according to the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea.
To honor and commemorate the service and sacrifices of those that gave all, the South Korean government established two national cemeteries, one in Seoul and another in Daejeon.
Retired ROK Lt. Gen. Lee Ki Hyun, and former ambassador to Lebanon, visited a sector for the fallen Air Force Soldiers at the Seoul National Cemetery with his colleagues June 3. While serving as a pilot, the Commandant of the ROK Air Force Academy, and as the Chief of Air Force Operations, Lee had to encounter a number of deaths of his fellow Airmen.
"Five of my pilot friends died from flight crashes within a few years after they were commissioned in 1964, and they are buried right here," said Lee. "It's been almost 50 years, but every time I come here, I can still remember my friends."
South Koreans will always remember and appreciate the sacrifices of those who fought against enemies and protected the nation.