South Korea Honors Moroccan Veterans of Korean War in Rabat Exhibition

During a photo exhibition organized from December 9 to 24, the South Korean Embassy in Rabat revealed the identity of two Moroccan veterans, Djian Julien and Mohamed Landri, second-class soldiers who died on July 4, 1953 and July 18, 1952 respectively during the Korean War. The first is of Judeo-Moroccan origin while the second is a native of the city of Fez. The South Korean Ambassador to Rabat, Keeyong Chung, took the opportunity to highlight the forgotten chapters of the shared history between his country and Morocco. "With these findings, we can officially say that Morocco took part in the [Korean] conflict," he said.

The embassy, in coordination with the Diplomatic Foundation and the High Commission for Former Members of the Resistance and Liberation Army (HCARAMAL), conducted active research to identify Moroccan veterans who participated in the Korean War and their descendants. The bodies of these two soldiers were discovered in the UN cemetery in Busan. The remaining task is first to "commemorate them, thank them, although they are no longer with us, but we would like to thank the members of their families if we can find them," Keeyong Chung said in an interview with Morocco World News.

After this discovery, the research continues. The South Korean diplomat hopes to find more Moroccan soldiers through strengthened partnership between the veterans’ institutions of the two countries. "With this discovery, we can make it a historical record," he added. These institutions are conducting collective academic research on the common history of the peoples. The collective work is entitled "Morocco-Korea: Brothers in Blood". The idea is to present the recent discovery to the rising generation by highlighting what the Moroccans did to bring people together in times of war.

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"Despite their geographical distance, Morocco and Korea have found a common history that testifies to the spirit of sacrifice and volunteerism of the Moroccans who defended the values of peace, tolerance and coexistence," said Mustapha El-Ktiri, High Commissioner of HCARAMAL, adding that this common history is the basis of an exemplary, active and dynamic cooperation between the two countries.