Two of the volunteers died in battle, while 17 were wounded in action. As Crown Prince Guillaume explained, the memory is not just to keep theirs alive, “it’s also for freedom… it’s important for us to remember the sacrifices made for the freedoms we have today.”

The delegation was accompanied by the South Korean minister for patriots and veterans affairs Minshik Park, but also in part by Sungsoo Kim, a 96-year-old Korean War veteran who had trouble standing but made the effort several times to personally thank the crown prince for Luxembourg’s participation and to give his family well wishes.

The delegation also toured the museum, discovering more about the Luxembourg participation as one of 16 countries to volunteer under a UN command to repel the North Korea army. A specially dedicated display showed a recreation of a site in Jatgol, celebrating Luxembourg Corporal Raymond Beringer, who fortified the stronghold and was later promoted to Sergeant and earned numerous awards, including a US bronze star.  

Earlier in the visit, the crown prince and Park exchanged gifts and a discussion, also with Sungsoo Kim. The group also toured the voluminous war records in multiple languages in the library.

Having opened in 1994, the war memorial serves to trace Korea’s military history through records, artefacts and more, while keeping the hopes for the possibility of South and North reunification open. It’s built on the site of a former army headquarters.

There are seven Luxembourg veterans of the Korean War (1950-1953) still alive. Crown Prince Guillaume last Monday paid a visit to the military museum in Diekirch, where an exhibition on Luxembourg’s involvement in the Korean War is currently taking place. There he shared exchanges with Luxembourg veterans about their experiences in the war. The “” exhibition runs until 23 March 2023.