23 Jul 2013

NZ veterans to attend Korean War commemorations

7:36 am on 23 July 2013

New Zealand veterans of the Korean War are travelling to South Korea to mark the 60th anniversary of the armistice that brought an uneasy truce between North and South, still in place today.

Six thousand New Zealanders served in Korea from 1950 to 1957, during the war and after the armistice on 27 July 1953. Most served with K-Force, but others were aboard New Zealand navy vessels.

During the conflict 45 New Zealanders lost their lives and 79 were wounded during the conflict. One New Zealander was taken prisoner and held in North Korea for 18 months before being released.

The 30 New Zealand veterans, who leave for Korea on Tuesday, will attend an Anzac service on Friday and a Korean service on Saturday. These will be followed by a United Nations service and New Zealand's own commemoration on Sunday, at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan.