Fallen on the battlefield during the South Korean War A strong tribute was paid Thursday evening during a solemn ceremony, organized at the headquarters of the Moroccan residence in Seoul, to two Moroccan soldiers whose blood flowed on the South Korean soil during the Korean War (1950-1953), in the presence of several personalities from various
Fallen on the battlefield in the South Korean War
A strong tribute was paid Thursday evening during a solemn ceremony, organized at the headquarters of Morocco’s residence in Seoul, to two Moroccan soldiers whose blood flowed on South Korean soil during the Korean War (1950- 1953), in the presence of several personalities from various backgrounds.
During this ceremony with a strong historical and emotional charge, which comes just a few days from June 6, the day commemorating soldiers and civilians who died for South Korea, the sacrifices of Mohamed Benkaddour Lasri and Julien Djian, two Moroccan fighters from the French battalion of the United Nations in Korea, were celebrated as testimony to a Moroccan-Korean friendship which has never wavered and which has developed over the years.
This historical dimension of the Moroccan-Korean relationship was highlighted in the various speeches delivered on this occasion. This is the case of the South Korean Minister of Forests, who stressed in a speech read on his behalf by a director of the ministry, the need to remember acts of nobility in the defense of the values and ideals of freedom, accomplished by the “hidden heroes” of the Korean War, including Moroccan soldiers.
“South Korea would not have been the same without the sacrifice of these soldiers,” he said. The official did not fail to underline the excellent diplomatic relations between Rabat and Seoul, recalling in passing the signing in 2018 of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries in the forestry sector. the curator of the UN cemetery in Pusan (southern South Korea) which houses the remains of soldiers who died in the Korean War, who pointed out that through the commemoration of the sacrifices of the two Moroccan fighters, the ceremony , organized by the Moroccan Embassy in Seoul, is a reminder of the values for which these soldiers came to fight on the soil of a distant country during a painful episode that threatened to shake the ideals of peace in the world.
He saluted the heroism of these soldiers who contributed to the freedom of his country thanks to their courage, their bravery and their infallible commitment.
A strong message of brotherhood and Moroccan-Korean friendship was conveyed during the ceremony on behalf of the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Park Jin, also a member of the ruling party in the Korean parliament. Speaking, Morocco’s Ambassador to South Korea, Chafik Rachadi, paid a vibrant tribute to the valiant Moroccan fighters.
He noted that the ceremony provides additional proof that the sacrifices of the two soldiers “have not been forgotten” and that their sacrifices have enabled the Moroccan and Korean peoples to remain unfailingly linked by a “blood brotherhood”. transcending time. The ceremony offers an opportunity to share the human values of peace and coexistence embraced and promoted by the Kingdom of Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, he said, stressing that the celebration of the sacrifices of the two Moroccan soldiers is also an opportunity to discover together an important part of the historical memory shared by the two peoples. Human relations between Morocco and South Korea would exceed the 60 years that mark diplomatic relations between the two countries, he said. The ceremony was also marked by a conference led by Mr. Park Young-min, professor at Daejin University, followed by a presentation and signing session of the book “Imjin Scouts” by its author Kwan- Hyun Moon, head of the South Korean news agency “Yonhap”, recounting the role of soldiers, members of this unit in the protection of South Korea from 1965 to 1991.
The highlight of the tribute ceremony to the memorial brotherhood between the Moroccan and South Korean peoples was the planting of two commemorative trees in honor of the late Mohamed Benkaddour Lasri and Julien Djian, in a setting full of emotion and of serenity. The choice of trees was made on the annual flowering plant hibiscus “Mugunghwa: South Korean national flower”, whose name means “eternal flower that never fades” and which could represent the excellence of the six decades marking the relations of friendship and cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Korea. The two trees symbolize the sacrifice and the durability of the collective memory with regard to the two Moroccan soldiers who died for the freedom of the South Korean people.
Attending the memorial ceremony were officials from the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Park Jin’s top adviser, the curator of the UN Memorial Cemetery in Pusan (UNMCK), two Korean War veterans as well as as eminent South Korean personalities representing the political, academic and media spheres.
Documents from the office of the UN Cemetery reveal that Mohamed Benkaddour Lasri and Julien Djian are two soldiers of Moroccan nationality, who came to fight in South Korea under the banner of the UN. According to these documents, Mohamed Benkaddour Lasri, born in 1915, died of wounds sustained during combat on Hill 1037 in the Munchi region, about 200 km north of Wonju (southwest of South Korea). . Master Corporal, bearing registration number 318, Benkaddour Lasri is buried in grave number 571, in the cemetery of Pusan. Julien Djian, born on February 19, 1928 in Marrakech, died on July 4, 1953, only 23 days before the armistice proclaimed on July 27, 1953.
According to documents from the UN Cemetery office, he was seriously injured in the head, chest, arm and leg during shelling in Cheorwon district, Gangwon province, near the border with Korea. North. For those responsible for the UN Cemetery, these two soldiers, like their colleagues who died defending the values of freedom and peace, represent an eternal symbol of brotherhood.
The two soldiers rest alongside 2,300 other soldiers buried in the UN Cemetery, recalling this difficult episode in the history of South Korea, this country affectionately nicknamed the country of the Morning Calm, in reference to the beauty of its mountains, its clear waters and its splendid tranquillity.