To the editor:
I attended the Remembrance Day parade and service at the cenotaph in front of Terrace city hall with my family on Nov. 11.
Although I came to Canada with my family last year, this was my first time attending the event. I am Korean. My grandfather was a Korean War veteran and was awarded a medal for his bravery.
My father also served for 33 months facing the Demilitarized Zone, and I served in the Republic of Korea Navy for 27 months. My younger brother, who lives in Korea, also served as an officer in the Republic of Korea Army.
Korea also has a Memorial Day. Strangely, it happens to fall on my birthday. Although the dates of Memorial Day in Korea and here are different, both days honour the noble spirits of those who sacrificed their lives for their country. In that sense they are the same.
However, more than 70 years have passed since the end of the Korean War, and today’s younger generation in Korea seems to have largely forgotten its meaning.
Yet today’s Remembrance Day in Canada reminded me of many things I had forgotten - from children to the elderly, countless people surrounded the streets. From start to finish they paid their respects with a serious and reverent attitude.
I felt a deep sense of awe witnessing their mature consciousness. As was said at the cenotaph, although it was not their war, they fought and gave their lives for freedom in a foreign country they had never heard of.
I deeply respect and mourn for those ancestors who fought and died for freedom, with their names unknown.
Although I am a foreigner here, I felt a sense of humanity that transcends borders. I am once again grateful for their dedication and for the high level of consciousness shown by their descendants on behalf of Koreans, which has allowed me to be who I am today.
Lee Hojun,
Terrace, B.C.
