Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veteran Affairs (MPVA) hosts Korean War Veterans’ Descendants Network Program in the Netherlands
The grandchildren of the soldiers who were attached to the Dutch battalion during the Korean War will attend the Descendants Network Program to meet their grandfathers’ fellow veterans, express their gratitude, and establish friendship with the fellow veterans’ descendants
Participating students, Korean and Dutch alike, will prepare a luncheon for the veterans with various programs and special performances to increase the Netherlands’ awareness on the Korean War through a flash mob.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (Minister Pi Woo-Jin) will organize the Korean War Veterans’ Descendants Network Program for Descendants from Thursday August 23rd to Wednesday 29th for the first time in the Netherlands where Korean and Dutch students will participate together to promote the friendship with the UN sending states and continue cooperation.
The students will engage in various activities during the week, including the visit to the Yi Jun Peace Museum and the military regiment that participated in the Korean War.
Why the Netherlands?
The MPVA has annually hosted Youth Peace Camps in Korea, but this will be the first time for the ministry to host a program for the Korean War descendants outside the country.
The ministry says it chose the Netherlands to be the first country other than Korea to host this program since the Dutch descendants of the veterans successfully inherited a veteran’s organization and therefore can be a good example to be learned by descendants of other UN sending states.
Who will participate in the camp?
Among the 32 participants, 16 are Korean college students and 16 are Dutch participants who are grandchildren of the UN veterans of the Korean War.
Among the Korean participants, 2 are the grandchildren of the soldiers who were attached to the Dutch battalion during the Korean War. They hope that it can be a meaningful experience that allows them to express their gratitude to their grandfathers’ fellow veterans in the Netherlands.
What are major features?
In the afternoon of Sunday August 26th the participants will assemble in the Amsterdam square to perform a flash mob to express their respects and gratitude to the veterans of the Korean War.
The flash mob will last around four minutes, featuring the participants dancing to K-pop and holding a sign expressing gratitude towards the veterans to show the Dutch public that Korea did not forget the veterans who helped them. Moreover, the participants will host a luncheon with the veterans invited as distinguished guests on Tuesday August 28th.
During the luncheon, the students will report their activities of the week and representative participants will speak while the Korean students share their grandfathers’ war stories. The lunch will also feature Korean traditional instrument performance, singing, and dancing. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs plans to develop varied programs and expand the network with the descendants of the UN veterans.
——————————-
Park, Chunghontap, Korean War Monument.
