The Korean Embassy in Denmark announced on the 25th (local time) that a commemorative ceremony was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the return to port of the Danish hospital ship Jutlandia, which treated UN troops and Korean civilians in Korea for 999 days during the Korean War. Denmark was the first UN member country to express its intention to provide medical support in 1951 during the Korean War.
The Korean Embassy in Denmark and the Danish War Veterans Association jointly held a commemorative ceremony the day before at the Royal Fortress Castellet in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. This ceremony was held to commemorate both United Nations Day (October 24) and the 70th anniversary of Jutlandia’s return to port (October 16, 1953). About 200 people attended the event, including Korean Ambassador to Denmark Kim Hyeong-gil, Danish War Veterans Association President Niels Arnerson, Danish Red Cross Secretary-General Anders Landkal, Danish National Defense Command Director General Jakob Alexa, and Defense Attaché to Germany Ha Tae-jong.
Veterans and family members, including Eric Broendum (88), who served aboard the Jutlandia at the time, also attended. Mr. Bröndum worked on the Jutlandia from September 1952, when he was 17 years old, to October 1953, after the signing of the Armistice Agreement.
In his commemorative speech, Ambassador Kim said, “The dispatch of the Jutlandia to the Korean War was a valuable helping hand extended to Korea and its people devastated by the war, as well as a manifestation of Danish traditional values, and a step forward in Denmark’s humanitarian diplomacy after World War II. “It was a historical event that laid the foundation,” he said.
At the event, Ambassador Kim handed over the ‘Apostle of Peace Medal’ awarded by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to Mr. Brøndum. Appreciation plaques in the name of the Minister of Veterans Affairs were awarded to the Danish Veterans Association and Acting Chairman of the Jutlandia Veterans Association, Henrik Yat, and plaques of appreciation in the name of the Ambassador to Denmark were awarded to the Danish Red Cross, the Copenhagen branch of the Danish Veterans Association, and the head of the Danish Veterans Association.
In 1951, when the Korean War was in full swing, Denmark was the first UN member state to express its intention to provide medical support and dispatched the state-of-the-art hospital ship Jutlandia, equipped with 4 operating rooms and 356 beds, to Korea. This hospital ship was dispatched to Korea three times for 999 days before returning to Denmark. The embassy said it treated tens of thousands of South Korean civilians as well as UN soldiers.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.