SEOUL, 28 July 2013 – Former President Fidel Ramos, a veteran of the Korean War (1950-1953), represented – together with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin – the Philippines in official ceremonies in Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

Former President Ramos, who took part in the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) during the Korean War, joined on Saturday, 27 July 2013 Korean President Park Geun-hye, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, and high-level delegations from 21 countries that sent troops or medical staff, at the National Ceremony held at the War Memorial of Korea.

After the ceremony, President Park tendered a luncheon at the official presidential residence at Cheongwadae (Blue House) for the Heads of Delegation and officials from 27 countries, where former President Ramos gave his remarks on behalf of the foreign delegations.

In the afternoon, the foreign delegations continued the commemoration ceremony of the 60th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, signed on 27 July 1953, at the DMZ near the border village of Panmunjeom.

The Philippines was one of 16 countries to respond to the United Nations’ call for assistance to “defend freedom and democracy” on the Korean Peninsula in September 1950, less than three months after troops from North Korea crossed the 38th Parallel in a surprise attack against South Korea.

PEFTOK consisted five combat battalions under the UN Command. Of 7,420 soldiers who saw action, 112 were killed and 299 were wounded in action. Then 2nd Lt Ramos served as a reconnaissance platoon leader in the Chorwon-Kumwha-Pyongyang area in North Korea

As part of the official program of his five-day visit arranged on the invitation of South Korean Prime Minister Jung Hong-won and former Prime Minister Kim Huang-sik, former President Ramos addressed a commemorative symposium at Yeungnam University in Daegu on Friday, 26 July 2013.

“We now all have an opportunity to silence the guns on the Korean Peninsula for good. Let us not waver in seizing that opportunity,” Ramos said, referring trust-building efforts to resume a dialogue between the two Koreas.

“In so doing, we can all ensure that all our sacrifices six decades ago will not have been in vain,” he said. “This is the only lasting monument we can build not only to honor those who perished in the past but to help those yet to be born in the future.”

On Sunday, 28 July 2013, President Ramos and Secretary Gazmin held a wreath-laying ceremony at the Philippine Monument in Goyang City. The monument, a towering structure 21.5 meters high, was erected by the South Korean Government in October 1974 to pay tribute to Filipino soldiers during the Korean War.

The signed armistice established the Korean DMZ (de facto a new border between the two nations), put into force a cease-fire, and finalized repatriation of prisoners of war. The Demilitarized Zone runs not far from the 38th parallel which separated Northern and Southern Koreas before the war.

President Ramos was among 220 veterans and their families from 21 nations invited by the Commemoration Committee, led by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, in appreciation of their service and sacrifice during the war and to show them the nation’s development.

His official program also included meetings with the Filipino community groups in Daegu and Seoul, as well as a visit to the Saemaul Global Center and to the birthplace of the father of the current president, the late ROK President Park Chung-hee, both located in Gumi City in North Gyeongsang Province.

On 28 July 2013, President Ramos joined Philippine-born National Assembly member Jasmine Lee in attending the inauguration of the new Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul and in the awarding of the Certificate of Excellence and Medal of Excellence to Fr. Felixberto D. Perez, Jr. parish priest of the Ansan Filipino Catholic Community. Fr. Jun, as he was popularly known, was recognized for his exemplary leadership and commitment in championing migrant advocacy in Korea and for his untiring support for the programs and projects of the Embassy in the promotion of Philippine culture.