Memorial Day (Hyeon-chung-il) is celebrated annually on the 6th day of June here in Korea. It is the day to honor those who had served the country. On this day people usually display the Korean flag outside their houses or go to the National Cemeteries (one in Seoul and the other one in Daejeon).
My husband’s great-uncle is honored at the National Cemetery. He died defending South Korea during the Korean War. We visited his grave last year, sometime in August. There are about 30,000+ graves. They are identified by stone markers with a number engraved on one side and the person’s name on the other side. Hills upon hills are covered with graves. Higher ranking officials have bigger, better markers. President Park Chung Hee is also buried in the nicer side of the park fit for a former beloved president.
When I was in high school, my classmates and I used to visit La Pieta (a memorial park in Angeles City) in the afternoon. The cemetery is a “peaceful” place to rest and unwind. The Seoul National Cemetery isn’t a place where you’d go with your friends for some peace, knowing that majority of the people honored in the area died during the forgotten war.
memorial to Korea’s heroes
as far as the eye could see
#12778 Park Shin Won (my husband’s great-uncle)
President Park Chung Hee’s memorial
galing sana ganito rin sa pinas noh…
very organized…
kahit na may libingan tayo ng bayani walang naman tayong mga libingan para dun sa low rankings who also helped depend our country….
tsaka sa tatlong bansa na sumakop sa atin at sa daming giyera na nangyari sa bansa natin hindi ko na rin sila masisi ko bakit napabayaan na lang yung iba…
hay…
dito naman kasi sa korea ang sabi ng husband ko japan ang lang ang sumakop sa kanila….
at up to now marami pang ring koreans ang galit sa kanila…
pati ba naman sa soccer game gusto nila natatalo ang japan…
he..he.. ibang klase…
You should ask your husband to show you the memorial to the brave Filipino soldiers who died fighting to protect South Korea.
^ been there 🙂 but i think we shouldn’t take all the credit… after all, there are still more korean soldiers who died during the korean war…
God Bless all those who died so that South Korea may live. God bless Park Chung Hee and Yuk Young Soo.
-A DMZ Vet Who Was There – and Remembers