Delegations from 22 countries to take part in Korean War armistice ceremony this week

Government delegations from 22 countries that supported South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War will take part in a ceremony this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the conflict's armistice, the veterans ministry said Sunday.

The delegations will attend the event in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Thursday to commemorate the anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the war, according to the ministry.

The countries sent troops or other forms of support to help South Korea during the war against North Korean and Chinese troops. They are the United States, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey.

Delegates from 14 countries, including New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro and Xavier Bettel, prime minister of Luxembourg, will arrive in the country this week for the ceremony, while those from eight others will send their ambassadors, according to the ministry.

The government delegations will first visit the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone on Tuesday before heading to Busan the next day, where various events, including a meeting of veterans ministers, will take place.

"We will deliver our heartfelt thanks to the 22 countries and veterans that took part in the war and offered a helping hand in difficult times," Minister Park Min-shik was quoted as saying. (Yonhap)