On the 72nd Anniversary of the Korean War, Korean Cultural Centre India opened a Photo Exhibition titled “Korean War Special Exhibition <60 Para Field Ambulance>” to commemorate the contribution made by the 60 Para Field Ambulance. It showcases the joint efforts of the Indian and Korean Troops with the help of 32 archived photographs. The exhibition will be on view till 24th July 2022.
Korean War, the conflict between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the People’s Republic of Korea (South Korea), broke out in June 1950 in which millions lost their lives.
During this time of war, India supported the UN Security Council Resolutions and deployed a medical troop “60 Para Field Ambulance” that provided medical support to those injured in the war.
The troop commanded by Lieutenant Colonel AG Rangaraj was attached to the 27th Commonwealth Brigade in Korea. It had four combat surgeons, two anesthesiologists, and one dentist. The troop totaled 627 and was the largest troop of its kind during the Korean War.
The 60 Para Field Ambulance provided assistance to an estimated 2.2 lakh wounded during the war and performed 2,324 field surgeries. The troop was further divided into smaller support units like Daegu Station and Uijeongbu. Among the 627 medical aid workers dispatched, a total of 10 members of the unit were injured and 2 lost their lives.
As fighting subsided in 1953, India sent 5230 soldiers to form the Custodian Force India (CFI) which was tasked with looking after prisoners of war (POWs) and resolving the issue of their repatriation. As a Permanent Representative to the United Nations India played a critical role in brokering the peace process with the ‘Korean Armistice Agreement’ which was signed on July 27, 1953.
Now, there is a Korean War memorial in Delhi which was inaugurated on May 26, 2021, named ‘Indo-Korea Friendship Park’ which exhibits the contribution of the Indian Army during the Korean War.
Mr. Hwang Il-Yong, Director, Korean Cultural Centre India says, “ Through this exhibition, the Korean Cultural Centre India expresses their gratitude and pays homage to the 60 Para Field Ambulance and recalls that the today’s developed Republic of Korea was possible because of their sacrifice.” He concludes by saying that the Korean Cultural Centre will continue creating such programs that play a role in developing strong relations between Korea and India.
Although the Korean War Special Exhibition was planned for 2020 and was replaced by an online exhibition due to COVID-19, we expect this exhibition to be more meaningful as it will be held offline in 2022 with the efforts of the Cultural Centre.