Representing the 41 members of the Bay of Plenty branch of the New Zealand Korea Veterans' Association, seven Tauranga veterans were honoured in a poignant ceremony last Saturday at the Tauranga Baptist church.
During 1950-53, 4700 Kiwi troops served in Korea as part of Kayforce with another 1300 on frigates; 45 men lost their lives. Conditions were extremely tough and even worse for the millions of Korean citizens living the nightmare of civil war. The ceremony marked the 65th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
Claire Hyunah Choo, a 17-year-old Korean student from Tauranga Girls' College, organised the ceremony to honour and show appreciation to some of the members of the local branch which is led by Bill Clark.
As a history student, Claire is interested in the relationship between Korea and New Zealand and this was the seed for the idea. Other Korean schoolmates assisted her in the planning and making the day special for the veterans.
After singing the national anthems of New Zealand and Korea, Sojeong Son and Hojeong Chang summarised the events that led to the war and explained aspects of the conflict in a bilingual presentation.
The ceremony also included a poem, music, dance and a taekwondo exhibition. At the conclusion, Barry Barnard thanked the students in Korean and it was clear the veterans had enjoyed the performances and acknowledgement of their roles in helping South Korea avoid a fall to the communist North.
Bill spoke of some of the terrible things the soldiers had witnessed during the war in Korea; many which haunt him to this day. However on a return visit to Korea in 2003 for the 50th anniversary of the end of war, he was pleased to witness the spectacular progress which had been made since the war.
Poverty and devastation had been replaced by well-fed, well-dressed citizens occupying whole new cities with modern buildings, sophisticated infrastructure and a thriving economy, which is today ranked eleventh in the world.
The Bay of Plenty is a popular destination for Korean students and their families who come here to improve their English and to experience a culture different from their own. Some have settled permanently but many will stay a year or so before returning to Korea.