SEOUL, 11 September 2016 ? The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, led by Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez, commemorated the 66th anniversary of the participation of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) in the Korean War, on 11 September 2016 at the War Memorial of Korea.

The wreath laying ceremony, which was organized by the Philippine Embassy’s Defense and Armed Forces Attache in Seoul Col. Francis L. Lardizabal, was attended by some 50 guests, including Korean and foreign military officials and members of the Filipino community. Maj. Gen. Cho Yeong-Jin, Senior Member of the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), was the Guest of Honor. Other notable guests were (Ret.) Lt. Gen. Lee Young-Gae, Director of the War Memorial of Korea, Mr. Chi Kap-Chong, Chairman of the UN Korean War Allies Association, Col. Lee Seung-Joon, Secretary of the UNCMAC, representatives from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Association, and other Defense Attaches of the Sending States to the Korean War. In his brief remarks, Maj. Gen Cho underscored the nascent ties between the two countries which was forged during the Korean War when the Philippines decided to help South Korea in their quest for freedom and democracy against Communist aggression in 1950. Ambassador Hernandez also credited the bravery of the 7,420 Filipino troops of the PEFTOK, the fourth largest foreign troop contribution to the UN coalition, who fought alongside their Korean brothers to safeguard the country from invasion and later help rebuild it from devastation. “Today, we commemorate this act of brotherhood and solidarity in defense of freedom and democracy.” he said. Ambassador Hernandez also underscored the dynamic relations between the two countries which has evolved vigorously since then. “In the course of our 67 years of warm and dynamic bilateral relations, the Philippines and South Korea have become longstanding friends and close partners committed to enriching and nurturing this relations through deeper and stronger exchanges in various fields including politics, military, security, trade and investments, development, education, climate change, tourism, human trafficking, and socio-cultural cooperation.” From the outset of the Korean War (1950-53), the Philippines was a staunch advocate of the international defense of Korea and made good on its word by deploying its first overseas combat unit ever in September 1950, making it the third member country of the UN Command to send troops, after the United States and the United Kingdom. ? END?