By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

The new Greek Ambassador to Korea Loukas Tsokos visited the War Memorial operated by Korea War Memorial Organization (KWO) on Feb. 5, 2025.

KWO President Baek Seung-joo congratulated Ambassador Tsokos on his appointment to Korea and said, “Greece is a grateful country that helped South Korea achieve freedom and peace even under difficult circumstances due to the civil war before the Korean War.”

In response, Ambassador Tsokos said, “The War Memorial was the first place I wanted to visit after my arrival in Korea.” He explained that this was because the name of his relative, Ioannis Manasis, is inscribed on the war memorial's war dead list.

“Greece's participation in the Korean War has been a cornerstone of our close relationship between South Korea and Greece,” said Ambassador Tsokos.

President Baek introduced the KWO International Advisory Group project, which is being promoted by the business association to collect data on the Korean War. At the same time, he suggested recommending experts from the Greek Military and War Museum.

In response, Ambassador Tsokos said, “We will actively cooperate with the KWO International Advisory Group project to shed more light on the activities of the Greek military during the Korean War.”

After the meeting, Ambassador Tsokos visited the 6. 25 War Room III (United Nations Room), where the activities of the Greek army during the 6-25 War are exhibited, and paid tribute to the war dead.

During the Korean War, Greece deployed an air force unit consisting of one battalion of ground troops and seven C-47 transport aircraft.

The annual deployment during the war was 499 personnel. Of these, 186 were killed in action and 543 were wounded. The names of 186 Greek soldiers are inscribed on the war memorial.