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| Dutch Ambassador to Korea Paul Menkveld, left, and Defense attache Captain Willem Vermeule, center, present Korean War veteran Kwak Kyung-chan a medal during the award ceremony at the envoy's residence in Seoul on Sept. 1. / Korea Times |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
The Dutch government awarded certificates and medals to five Korean veterans who fought alongside the Dutch Army during the Korean War (1950-53), for their continuing contact with the European nation after the war.
On Sept. 2, Dutch Ambassador to Korea Paul Menkveld, in collaboration with defense attache Captain Willem Vermeule, gave the Medal of Merit in Gold to Kwak Kyung-chan on behalf of the Dutch ministry of defense at the ambassador's residence in Dongbinggo-dong, Seoul, for Kwak's good work to advance bilateral relations after the war.
Reading from a prepared statement detailing the selection criteria, Vermeule said the defense ministry had chosen Kwak for "his enduring and energetic efforts to keep alive the memory of the Dutch contribution to the Korean War."
Kwak said he was "tearfully touched and impressed" by the Dutch government's decision to recognize him for his activities and grateful to Ambassador Menkveld for his role in making it happen.
He said the hundreds of Dutch soldiers he had worked with during the war were brave and disciplined.
"I was 18 years old when I was attached to the Dutch Army based in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, in February 1951," he recalled.
One Dutch soldier, Kwak recalled, ran out to the battlefield singing and shooting.
"He was shot dead soon," Kwak said.
Four other Korean veterans, including Cho Yong-nam, received merits of distinction from Ambassador Menkveld.
All five were invited to the residence of the Dutch ambassador for a commemorative event, but two could not attend for health reasons.
"It is the first time that Korean veterans attached to the Dutch Army get distinction for their activities after the war," the envoy said.
Menkveld noted the Dutch government's recognition of the five Koreans was unusual because they were honored not because of what they had done during the war, but because of their supportive activities for the Dutch Army even after the war.
"All five Korean veterans were very active in the annual ceremony at the Dutch Monument in Gangwon Province, which is held on May 4 every year. When Dutch Korean War veterans visit Korea they always joined the event to welcome them," he said. "They have been very active in keeping things alive."
During the Korean War, the Netherlands sent approximately 1,200 soldiers to help South Korea fight the communist North.
Approximately 170 Korean soldiers, all of them part of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) program, were attached to the Dutch Army and fought North Korea and China.
The five Koreans who were honored by the Dutch government were among 170 KATUSA soldiers who were in the same military unit with the Dutch Army during the war.
