Today I will travel to the Republic of Korea to participate in the 70th anniversary commemorations of the Korean War Armistice.
As one of 21 member countries of the United Nations who committed forces, Australian personnel served alongside South Koreans in an attempt to unify the country between 1950 and 1953.
Approximately 18,000 Australian military personnel served during the Korean War and the post-armistice phase, including the Air Force, Navy and Army.
More than 350 Australians lost their lives, more than 1,200 were wounded and 30 taken prisoner. More than 40 Australians are still listed as missing in action.
I’ll join eight Australian veterans and their families participating in the “Revisit Korea” program for a visit to the Demilitarized Zone that was established as part of the Armistice agreement.
I’ll also contribute to the Ministerial Summit on Veterans’ Affairs to discuss how support for Australian veterans and veteran families has evolved since the Korean War.
Through the course of the week I’ll participate in a series of bilateral meetings with my Veterans Affairs Ministerial counterparts to share best practice strategies and learnings for supporting veterans and their families.
The visit will culminate on 27 July when we will mark the Armistice, commemorating the service and sacrifice of UN Partner and Australian veterans who served and pay tribute to those who lost their lives and those still listed as missing in action through a number of local, United Nations and Australian commemoration services.
