Memorial Day

The 6th of June is a special day in Korea; it's Memorial day and the day that Koreans remember and pay tribute to all those who died during the Korean War and other significant battles. Being such an important day for the nation it is also a public holiday meaning that I had the day off work. I thought it would be nice for me to honour  the true purpose of the day and pay my respects to those who lost their lives fighting for their country while learning more about Korean history at the same time. So I made the journey out of Seoul across to Incheon (Korea's third biggest city) and visited the Incheon Landing Operation Memorial Hall.

At the end of Japan's thirty five year rule over Korea at the end of World War II the Korean peninsular was divided in to two by the USA. In the years that followed the division between the two countries deepened with the North establishing a communist government and the South a capitalist government and it was in 1950 when the North opened fire on the South marking the beginning of the Korean War. Within the first few days of the war the capital of Seoul (meaning 'Capital City' in Korean which was changed after the country's independence from Japan just a few years earlier) became occupied by North Korean forces and destroyed almost entirely. The Battle of Inchon (Inchon was the romanised spelling of Incheon at the time) was the amphibious landing of UN troops delivered as allies to Korea and the Inchon Landing Operation, led by General McArthur, was the movement which led to the reclaiming of Seoul.

The memorial hall exhibits a collection of weapons, artifacts and vehicles from the war and the operation in particular as well as pictures documenting what life was like at that time. There is also an 18 meter long memorial tower as well as the national flags of the sixteen countries that participated in the war. On this day, the South Korean flag is flown at half mast in memory and respect.

My time at the memorial hall was both informative and eye-opening. I now have a much deeper understanding of Korea's history and the division of the North and South. As the war was never actually declared 'over' the countries still technically, and very sadly, remain at war with one another. I truly hope that one day this wonderful country that has been my home for the last couple of years can find and move forward in absolute peace.