On Tuesday, the MND Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification (MAKRI) announced that it hosted an appreciation event for the defense attaché corps in Korea representing countries that provided military and medical support to the United Nations Command during the Korean War. The event also served to discuss future cooperation in recovering the remains of UN troops who were killed or went missing during the war.
Among the 22 nations that participated in the Korean War, 16 currently have defense attachés stationed in South Korea.
Organized to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Korean War, the event included a visit to the Seoul National Cemetery, a briefing on the current status of UN troop remains recovery efforts, an overview of relevant war histories, and an introduction to the identification center.
MAKRI thanked the attaché corps for their countries’ support during the Korean War. The agency also shared updates on the current status of fallen and missing UN soldiers and explained its ongoing efforts to recover remains. Discussions included potential cooperation on collecting DNA samples from the families of the fallen to facilitate swift identification.
The defense attaché corps agreed on the need for close collaboration with MAKRI to locate and identify the UN troops who were killed or went missing during the war.
This marks the third time MAKRI has hosted an appreciation event for the defense attaché corps, following previous events in 2015 and 2017.
Colonel Stefano Marra, Defense Attaché at the Embassy of Italy in Korea, stated that today’s prosperous Republic of Korea is a testament to the value and courage of the Italian troops and other veterans who served during the war.
Lieutenant Colonel Leo Snel, Defense Attaché at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Korea, emphasized the importance of working together so that both UN and Korean soldiers who lost their lives during the Korean War can return to their families.
Lee Geun Won, Director of MAKRI, said, “It is our mission to bring them back to their families beyond borders” and stressed that “international cooperation is essential for the success of the remains recovery project.”
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