Introduction
Samuel Marshall, a military historian, characterized the Korean War as the most brutal war in the 20th century.1 The war, which sparked such a miserable tragedy, remains in armistice; at the same time, the tragedy of war is being forgotten while sentiments advocating for peace rather than war are spreading. As a mark for the 70th anniversary of the armistice ending the Korean War in 2023, the South Korean government commemorated the heroic sacrifices and selfless dedication of veterans who had laid down their lives to defend South Korea. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Patriots-Veterans agreed to cooperate with carrying out veteran-related programs to honor the legacy of UN war veterans as well as domestic and foreign independence fighters. As for the veteran affairs programs, former South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin stated at the Government Complex Seoul in 2023, “South Korea’s rapid development, within over half a century, into global top-ten economic powers would not have materialized without the profound sacrifices of war veterans.”2 Moreover, the South Korean patriots-veterans minister, Kang Jung-ae, also underlined that South Korea increased its national brand value through veteran diplomacy with nations allied during the Korean War.3 It constitutes a network that can foster positive partnerships with allied nations economically, socially, and culturally in both the political and diplomatic realms.
