South Korean Minister Meets with PM Bettel, Veterans in Luxembourg

At the invitation of Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, South Korea's Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Park Min-shik, paid a courtesy visit to the Grand Duchy on Wednesday 13 September 2023.

The official visit followed that of Prime Minister Bettel, accompanied by Korean War veteran Léon Moyen, among others, to South Korea from 25 to 27 July 2023, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

In Luxembourg, Prime Minister Bettel had a meeting with Park Min-shik at Hôtel Saint-Maximin (Ministry of State). As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of State and the service for remembering the Second World War (Service de la Mémoire de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale), they had an exchange on the historical ties that unite Luxembourg and South Korea, as well as on bilateral relations and international news.

Prime Minister Bettel and Park Min-shik later laid a wreath of flowers at the Golden Lady (Gëlle Fra) Monument of Remembrance in memory of the Luxembourg volunteers and UN soldiers who served in Korea. The ceremony took place in the presence of the President of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg's parliament), Fernand Etgen, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, and two Luxembourg veterans, Elie (Lee) Kryloff and Jean-Michel Clement.

In the early afternoon, Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, received Park Min-shik in audience at the Grand Ducal Palace.

Moreover, the South Korean Veterans Minister visited Villa Pauly for a guided tour of the exhibition "D'Koreaner aus dem Lëtzebuerger Land" (1950-1953). This exhibition, created by the National Museum of Military History (MNHM) in Diekirch, traces the commitment of Luxembourg volunteers in the Korean War and highlights a significant event in the shared history of the two countries.

(© SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen)