Seventy years have passed since the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950. The first ¡°hot war¡± of the Cold War, the Korean War started just five years after the Second World War ended. In that sense, the former conflict exemplified a crisis that fractured humanity¡¯s long-held ideals of freedom.

Right after the Korean War started, a combined 1,957,733 soldiers under the United Nations banner were dispatched from 16 nations including the U.S. to fight on the Korean Peninsula. Among them, 37,902 were killed and 13,460 injured. Meanwhile, medical personnel from six nations including India provided humanitarian aid. Both the foreign soldiers and medical staff were heroes who sought peace.

After the armistice ended the conflict in 1953, Korea again received aid from its friends around the world. The devastation and poverty incurred by the war had to be overcome, thus Koreans devoted themselves to national and social reconstruction. Ultimately, Korea emerged as one of the world¡¯s most educated and politically conscious nations, boasting high standards of social order.

Reflecting on the foreign soldiers who fought for liberty and humanitarianism on the peninsula, the Korean government and its people remember not only the blood and sweat of their sacrifices but also the present reality of many developing countries.

At the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul¡¯s Yongsan-gu District on May 14, volunteers for the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Program take part in a floral tribute. © 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee

On Jan. 31 this year, the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee was launched with members from the public and private sectors. Under the motto ¡°Remembrance, Solidarity, Peace,¡± the committee seeks to promote peace on the peninsula and honor veterans for their sacrifice and dedication. Soon after the committee¡¯s launch, the coronavirus began to sweep the world, and given the dire consequences of the pandemic, the committee must rethink how to commemorate veterans and remember the Korean War.

The thousands of foreign soldiers who fought in the conflict have aged over the past seven decades, and they as the elderly are part of the demographic most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Korea¡¯s exemplary war on COVID-19 is something the country aspires to share with the rest of the world. In a similar vein, the Korean government and its people hope the 70th anniversary of the Korean War¡¯s outbreak will encourage humanitarian peacemaking among nations. In line with that intent, the government has sent protective masks to U.N. war veterans along with notes of gratitude, and for those in nations having an especially hard time due to the coronavirus, medical supplies like COVID-19 diagnostic kits have also been dispatched.

We Koreans sincerely wish for peace on the peninsula, which remains scarred by the Cold War. We also hope that our fellow civilians overseas overcome the tragedy brought on by the pandemic. Our solidarity will persist until global prosperity and health prevail.

A C-130J plane at Gimhae Air Base in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, is loaded with a million protective masks on May 8 to distribute to Korean War veterans in 22 nations. © YonhapNews