And Today, Michael Cried

This is our last day in Korea. It has been quite a memorable time for us! Michael and I were happy to be able to spend some time with An, who is our Korean teacher. Our tour guides Jun, in Seoul, and Young, in Busan, were very knowledgeable and helpful in navigating the cities and sites.

The Internet at the hotel keeps cutting out so this is a short version until I get back home.

The UN Memorial Cemetery is a historic and meaningful site dedicated to United Nations soldiers who lost their lives during the Korean War. It is the only UN cemetery in the world, offering a calm and respectful place for remembrance.

"This is a memorial park established to glorify the help & sacrifice by UN Forces soldiers who fought in the Korean War. The UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK), is located at Daeyoen-4-dong, Nam-gu, Busan. Here lies the heroic war dead from various countries, who dedicated their lives for the cause of world peace & freedom."

"This memorial cemetery, with 14.7ha of area, was first installed in January 1951, when the UN Command had begun to reinter the bodies from 6 local cemeteries in Kaesong, Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, Miryang, and Masan. Then in April 1951, it is enshrined."

"On August 8th, the South Korea government decided to donate the cemetery site to the UN permanently at no cost, for UN Forces soldiers’ help & sacrifice. Thus, in December 1955, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to establish a memorial cemetery in Korea."

"Also, The National Assembly of South Korea designated UNMCK as a shrine to the government. To take these two resolutions in action, the UN General Assembly made an official agreement between the UN & South Korea, and which continues to today."

"From 1951 to 1954, approximately 11,000 bodies of the UN Forces war dead were buried at this cemetery. Some of the bodies returned home (all Belgians, Colombians, Ethiopians, Greeks, Filipinos & Thais; most of the Americans, some of French & Norwegians). Now here lies 2,300 bodies of soldiers: 281 Australians, 378 Canadians, 44 French, 117 Hollanders, 34 New Zealanders, 1 Norwegian, 36 Koreans, 11 South Africans, 462 Turks, 885 British, 36 Americans, 4 unknown soldiers & 4 noncombatants. The names of the deceased are engraved on a tombstone.

Michael's relative, Alphonse R. Schmitt from Wisconsin, was killed during the Korean War.

Hwangnyeongsan Observatory Cherry Blossom Road is one of Busan’s most scenic spring destinations, where you can enjoy stunning cherry blossoms along the road while taking in panoramic views of the city.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/c4e320_06f08fd45b1b4d288941854c80df2838/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Until later..........