Ftetam El Asry, daughter of a Moroccan soldier named Mohamed El Asry(center) and Moroccan Ambassador to Korea Chafik Rachadi(first from left) pay tribute to a Moroccan soldier who sacrificed his life in the Korean War at the UN Cemetery in Busan on Nov. 11. (Moroccan Embassy in Seoul)
Ftetam el-Asry, the 82-year-old daughter of a Moroccan soldier killed during action in the 1950-53 Korean War, came to South Korea to participate in a ceremony honoring her father, according to the Moroccan Embassy in Seoul.
The memorial ceremony organized by the Korean Ministry of Veterans and Patriots was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on Nov. 11 at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan.
El-Asry paid a touching tribute to her father, Mohamed el-Asry, whose story remained untold for decades, according to the embassy.
Ftetam El Asry, daughter of a Moroccan soldier named Mohamed El Asry(center) and Moroccan Ambassador to Korea Chafik Rachadi(first from left) pay tribute to a Moroccan soldier who sacrificed his life in the Korean War at the UN Cemetery in Busan on Nov. 11. (Moroccan Embassy in Seoul)
Recent efforts have been made to identify and honor Moroccan veterans of the Korean War who fought under the French UN battalion, the embassy added.
A master corporal, Mohamed el-Asry died in combat in the Munchi region of North Jeolla Province in South Korea on March 5, 1951.
Today, he rests in the UN cemetery in Busan alongside 2,300 other soldiers.
The discovery of his grave in the UN Cemetery in Busan is "a merciful benediction" for his daughter, according to the embassy.
The ceremony not only honors the fallen but also provides closure and recognition for families like the el-Asrys, whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of peace and democracy, the embassy told The Korea Herald.
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