Vancouver, Canada – On June 25th, marking the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea and the Consulate General of Korea in Vancouver held a meaningful event to award the military decorations personally, numbered 18186 and 14656, to veteran Young-Gil Park.
Veteran Young-Gil Park courageously served in the national defense during the Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, and was awarded two military decorations by the Ministry of National Defense on December 30, 1950. However, due to an administrative oversight during the war, the decorations were not delivered to him for many years.
This award ceremony was part of the Ministry of National Defense's project titled “Finding the Heroes of the Korean War Military Decorations.” Through the cooperation of the Consulate General in Vancouver, they were able to locate the recipient, Veteran Young-Gil Park.
Attending the event were Veteran Young-Gil Park's spouse and two daughters, along with Woo-Seok Lee, President of the Western Canada Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association, and Vice Presidents Gong-Sun Kang and Jeong-Gil Seo, who commemorated the restoration of honor for the war hero.
In his speech at the ceremony, Kyun stated, “Today's Republic of Korea is built on the noble sacrifices of individuals like Veteran Young-Gil Park. It is a great honor for me, as a diplomat representing my country, to personally deliver the decorations that had not been passed on for such a long time. It is deeply meaningful to fulfill the principle that the country remembers and honors its heroes.”
Overview of the "Finding the Heroes of the Korean War Military Decorations" Project
The "Finding the Heroes of the Korean War Military Decorations" project is a national effort by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. It aims to discover cases where military decorations from the Korean War were awarded but not delivered to the individual or their family, and to formally present the decorations as a means of restoring honor and recognition.
The project provides opportunities for direct awarding to surviving veterans, and in the case of deceased honorees, respects are fulfilled through their families.
You can find the Korean version of this article here.
