A group of 12 Irish Veterans of the Korean War arrived in Seoul on Monday to participate in a special dedication of a war memorial.
The group will take part in commemorations and other events with veterans from Commonwealth countries, including a visit to the United Nations cemetery in Busan where many of their fallen comrades are buried, according to a statement from the Irish Embassy on Sunday.
The trip was sponsored by the Ministry and Patriot Affairs.
The culmination of the group’s visit takes place Thursday at a dedication of the memorial to all those of Irish birth and heritage who died in the Korean War at the War Memorial of Korea adjacent to the United States military’s Yongsan Garrison in Seoul.
The memorial recalls the Battle of Happy Valley, which took place on the night of the Jan. 3-4, 1951, the embassy said in the statement.
In that battle, U.N. soldiers held back an advancing Chinese Army, which aided in the evacuation of Seoul. The Royal Ulster Rifles, supported by the 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars and the Royal Artillery, sustained significant losses during the fighting.
The embassy said that the visit by the Irish veterans and the erection of the memorial resulted from the determination of Col. Robin Charley of The Royal Ulster Rifles Association to see the Battle of Happy Valley signaled out with a marker in Korea.
