60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration
Falck participated in the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration in the end of September, as part of the group of Norwegian veterans and their family members. Their visit was part of the Veterans Revisit Korea Program, organized by the Ministry of Veterans and Patriots Affairs (MPVA). The program aims to thank the Korean War veterans for their sacrifice and contribution during the Korean War, as well as give them the opportunity to learn about the development that South Korea has undertaken since the war.
The program of the commemoration included events such as visits to Panmunjeom, Seoul National Cemetery, and the War Memorial of Korea. Falck says that, to her the most memorable parts of this year’s trip were the trip to Busan, where the group visited the UN cemetery and the Monument of Medical Support Nations; the visit to Panmunjeom, where the memories from the war so easily came to the surface as the tensions between the two Koreas is still so evident; and the visit to the National Medical Center.
The National Medical Center was a joint Scandinavian project, and Bernhard Paus, Falck’s father, was involved in its planning process. Norway, Sweden, and Denmark came together already during the war, to plan the establishment of this much needed medical center. The hospital was opened in Seoul in 1958, and Scandinavians stayed present at the hospital for 10 years. Bernhard Paus worked at the hospital for 2 years after it was opened, and Falck lived in Seoul with him for the first of these two years. For this reason, the visit to the medical center was of great personal importance to Falck. She found it especially emotional because it was so clear that their hosts had worked hard to make their visit a reality, and because they seemed so proud to invite them.
During their visits to South Korea, Falck and the Norwegian Veterans experienced a large amount of gratitude from the Korean people. Falck explained that many of the Koreans they met on their travel expressed their heartfelt thanks, as they acknowledge that South Korea would not have been what it is today, had it not been for the outside help provided by the UN. These encounters made their trip particularly meaningful and it was inspiring for the future relationship building between Korea and Norway.
Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association
Since the Korean War, the relationship between Norway and South Korea has stayed strong. The Norwegian Veterans Association was created shortly after the war, and in recent years the veterans and the previous Ambassador of South Korea to Norway, Byung-Koo Choi, have been working for the establishment of a new association to take its place. As a result of this, the Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association was inaugurated in September 2009.
Falck is a board member of the Norwegian Veterans Association, and also the president of the Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association. She explains that the new association’s purpose is to continue the work and efforts of the veterans association, as this will cease to exist. It is open to anyone, and its members consist of Korean adoptees, relatives of Norwegian war veterans, and others interested in Korea.
One of the focus areas for the friendship association is education of young people. Mrs. Falck is concerned with the importance of getting the younger generations to talk about the war, and understand history. She pointed out that the Korean MPVA is doing a great job in this regard. Among its efforts this year was the 2010 Peace Camp for Youth, a week-long summer camp aiming to help young generations to understand the Korean War and the importance of peace on the Korean peninsula. The MPVA invited descendants of the UN veterans who participated in the Korean War to take part in the camp. 12 grandchildren of Norwegian veterans were invited, and the MPVA covered their stay as well as parts of their travel expenses. She sees this as a strong indication of the commitment MPVA has to involving youth in their countries’ history. Travel logs of the Norwegian participants are available on the internet.