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Emotions surround 50th anniversary of Korean invasion
(CNN) -- While protesters called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea, veterans of the Korean War and world leaders marked the war's 50th anniversary Sunday with ceremonies in Seoul and Washington. At Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Vice President Al Gore, a veteran of the Vietnam War, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Later, U.S. President Bill Clinton spoke at the nearby Korean War Veterans Memorial.
Paying warm tribute to the veterans and fallen soldiers of a "forgotten war," Clinton marked the anniversary by reminding Americans of the sacrifices freedom demanded. The president thanked those who fought in the war. "For all the talk about Korea being the forgotten war, we must never forget that for some, Korea is still alive every single day," he said. "We will not stop until we have the fullest possible accounting of all our men and women still missing in action there," he said. During a moving ceremony, Clinton also announced the identification of the remains of two U.S. soldiers who died in the fighting, and said another team was on its way to North Korea to work on more identifications. In Seoul, about 2,500 angry demonstrators, mostly students, marched through the streets shouting, "Let's kick out the U.S. military. Until that time, we can't be happy." Later the protesters faced off with police, but no major clashes were reported. The U.S. currently has about 37,000 troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula, a military presence maintained since U.S. forces first entered the conflict June 27, 1950. Two days earlier, communist North Korean troops had invaded South Korea, prompting the United Nations to authorize a "police action." Despite easing tensions between Seoul and North Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright made it clear during a meeting Friday with South Korean President Kim Dae-jung that American troops would remain in the region indefinitely. South Korea's ambassador to the United States was scheduled Sunday to join Clinton for a ceremony at Washington's Korean War Veterans Memorial, attended by many former U.S. military personnel who saw action during the conflict. One veteran's experiencesAmong those veterans in attendance was James McEachin of Los Angeles, who since the war has acted in many films and television shows. McEachin told CNN that his life was saved during combat by a mysterious "Scandinavian-looking guy" who apparently had deserted his unit. The man, who never identified himself, helped McEachin, who had suffered a life-threatening chest wound. After recovery in a military hospital, McEachin returned to the battlefront to try to find his unidentified rescuer, without success. In Seoul, Kim told thousands of South Korean veterans of the war that national security must be maintained despite recent moves to reconcile with North Korea. During the historic first-ever summit June 13-15, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il announced that he had canceled war anniversary celebrations. In turn, the South canceled its military parade and battle re-enactments. At the summit, both leaders promised to work toward reunification. 'Forgotten War' rememberedSome historians have referred to the Korean War as the "Forgotten War" because, sandwiched between World War II and the Vietnam War, the conflict somehow never entered the U.S. national consciousness as other wars have. "But it is not forgotten," Clinton said in a proclamation released on Sunday. "We pay honor to the courage of our veterans who fought in Korea and to the thousands who died there or whose fate is still unknown." Clinton proclaimed that Congress has designated June 27, 2000, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, and ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff. June 27 was the date in 1950 when U.S. President Harry Truman committed the first U.S. forces to the Korean conflict. "We remember that, in the Korean War," Clinton's statement said, "our soldiers' brave stand against communism laid the foundations of peace and freedom that so many nations enjoy today." North Korea launched an invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950. U.S.-led United Nations forces battled Chinese- and Soviet-backed North Korea to a stalemate in the war, in which 3 million soldiers and civilians were killed and 5 million became refugees. Nearly 37,000 U.S. soldiers died in the Korean War, 92,000 were wounded and 8,000 have not been accounted for. Nearly 1 million South Korean troops were killed or injured. The fighting ended in 1953 with an armed truce and the two Koreas remaining in a technical state of war with no peace treaty. U.S.-North Korea talks expected this weekOn June 19, Washington eased trade sanctions against North Korea, moving one step closer to opening formal diplomatic relations. But before relations are normalized, the United States has made it clear that North Korea must halt its missile development program and export of missiles, which American officials have said pose a security threat to U.S. shores. A senior State Department official told CNN on Thursday the United States expected to discuss the missile issue sometime this week during talks with North Korean officials in New York. "We are going to address our concerns," the official said. "We hope to work to reduce the dangers that are caused by these missiles." CNN Correspondent Bruce Morton, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
RELATED STORIES: Albright: U.S. troops to stay in South Korea for now RELATED SITES: Arlington National Cemetery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CNN's Bruce Morton recalls the war that never really ended.
