Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | The Republic of Korea Defended Together by the World"

Solidarity amidst the smoke of battle, records of peace achieved by 63 nations of the world.

The Korean War was not a tragedy confined solely to the Korean Peninsula. Beginning with a surprise invasion by the North Korean armed forces at dawn of June 25 in 1950, the war claimed countless number of human lives and homes.

The Armed Forces and the people of the Republic of Korea and the United Nations endured to defend the Republic of Korea (south), and the world gathered on the side of the Republic of Korea to protect freedom and peace.

This Korean War photo exhibition is not merely a display of war photographs.

Furthermore, each and every black-and-white photograph holds the tears of refugees, the smoke of battlefields, the screams of mothers, and the last breaths of soldiers.

At the same time, these photographs testify to the fact that the Republic of Korea did not fight alone. During the Korean War, 16 nations dispatched combat units, 5 provided medical support, 39 provided material and financial aid, and 3 expressed their willingness to assist.

Not only the soldiers with weapons but also the medics who bandaged wounds, the citizens who sent food and clothing, and the nameless individuals who prayed from afar for free Korea--everyone is a benefactor who preserved the Republic of Korea as it is today.

The ruins depicted in the photographs were not the end. Refugees crossed over collapsed bridges, and schools and factories were rebuilt upon the burnt city.

Democracy grew upon the tears of war orphans, and today's Republic of Korea rose from the ruined land.
This photo exhibition is not a place to look at the past, but a place to re-examine the peace of today.

The freedom and prosperity that we enjoy today did not come by themselves. They were built upon the sacrifices of the ROK Armed Forces, the dedication of the United Nations Forces, the solidarity of nations around the world, and the tears of the common people who fell nameless.

Photographs are silent, yet they convey a Dharma teaching deeper than silence. “Do not forget. Peace is reborn in the hearts of those who remember.”

I pray that the Korean War Photo Exhibition held at Cheonnyeon Hanghwa Jiji Byeoksa Chobuljeong-a will become a sanctuary of peace that commemorates the fallen heroes and reflects on the grace of the Republic of Korea, which the world defended together.