Busan is good

Honoring Noble Sacrifice and Dedication… Posthumous Burial Ceremony Held for Dutch Korean War Veteran

내용

□ The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that a posthumous burial ceremony for a Dutch Korean War veteran was held on April 30 at 2:00 PM at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK) in Nam-gu, hosted by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Seoul.

○ Lee Jun-seung, Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Busan, attended the ceremony, read a eulogy, and laid a wreath in honor of the veteran’s noble sacrifice and dedication during the Korean War.

○ The UN Memorial Cemetery is the final resting place for 2,331 UN forces from 14 countries who lost their lives in the Korean War.
The Netherlands dispatched approximately 5,322 troops during the war, bravely engaging in battles in Hoengseong, Inje, and Daewoo Mountain.
A total of 124 Dutch soldiers were killed and 645 were wounded.

<UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK)>

• ●Location: Nam-gu, Busan

• ●Total Burials: 2,331 soldiers from 14 countries

• ●Managed by: UNMCK Commission (CUNMCK)
  ※ Since 2015, posthumous burials have been available upon request by veterans or their families

• ●Dutch Veterans Interred (as of 2024): 123 total (117 KIA, 6 posthumous)

---

□ This ceremony honored the late Mr. Johannes Horstman, a Dutch Korean War veteran, whose remains were laid to rest in the cemetery.

○ Before his passing in July 2024 at the age of 93, Mr. Horstman had expressed in his will his wish to be buried at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea.

○ This marks the seventh posthumous interment of a Dutch Korean War veteran at the site since the burial of Nicolas Frans Wessel in May 2016.

---

□ The solemn ceremony was attended by key representatives from the Embassy of the Netherlands, the United Nations Command, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UNMCK administration, and veterans’ associations.

---

□ The City of Busan will continue to honor Korean War veterans and strengthen its cooperation with UN Allied Nations.

○ Vice Mayor Lee Jun-seung conveyed his deepest condolences and gratitude to the bereaved family, stating,
“Busan was a central hub for military and humanitarian support from the United Nations during the Korean War.
I sincerely hope that Veteran Johannes Horstman will now rest peacefully alongside his comrades at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan.”