From left, Korean War veterans Vincent Courtenay from Canada, William Hale from the U.S. and Philip Wood from the U.K. pose during an interview with The Korea Times at the Millennium Hilton Seoul hotel, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo

By Nam Hyun-woo

A number of veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War have questioned the necessity of a declaration to officially end the war, which was proposed by President Moon Jae-in as part of his peace initiative on the Korean Peninsula.

"I think it's very unnecessary but if they (Koreans) want to do it, it's fine," Vincent Courtenay, 87, a Canadian veteran, said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Tuesday.

He fought in the Second Battle of the Hook near the inter-Korean border area Nov. 18 and 19, 1952.

"South Korea was invaded and we repelled North Korea and the war ended. It ended as they stop shooting there," Courtenay added. "You have a military armistice agreement and it lasted for 70 years. It's better than any other armistice that was ever signed in any war. If Koreans want do it, it's very nice to do it, but I'm sure it won't make us feel any prouder. The war ended when we fought here. And if we didn't, we wouldn't have South Korea like it is today."

After three years of fierce battle, the Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war. To improve inter-Korean relations and push the North to denuclearize, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has proposed a declaration on a formal end to the war ― most recently in September ― involving the two Koreas, the United States and possibly China.

Since it is not a peace treaty, such a declaration is closer to a non-binding political statement, but the Moon administration sees it as a gateway to peace for the two Koreas, and as a catalyst for negotiations on denuclearization. However, the effort is seeing no tangible progress.

Domestic opinion on Moon's proposal is also divided because of some public sentiment opposing his repeated offer of a conciliatory gesture despite the North remaining unrepentant for its invasion and continuing military provocations. According to a Sept. 30 poll on 1,132 respondents by RnSearch, 49.4 percent supported Moon's proposal, but 42.8 percent were against it.

For the veterans, who risked their lives to help a country they barely even knew and repel a North Korean invasion, the proposal also brought mixed emotions.

"So I have mixed emotions," said William Hale, who served as a U.S. Marine during the war and participated in Operation Mousetrap. "I know your president wants to, and I know a lot of Korean people that are not in agreement with that. If it could really help settle North Korea down a little bit, and they follow you guys, I would be very happy, but I'm not so sure in this environment in my lifetime it will happen."

Philip Wood, a British military engineer who participated in post-war rebuilding and mine-clearing missions, also said the Moon administration should "talk to its people" before pursuing such a proposal.

"I think we're happy that you made such a good job of a recovery from the Korean War and I think Britain will always support you whichever way you've got, and the Canadians are the same, the Yanks are the same, but we are not sure about North Koreans," Wood said.

The veterans visited Korea to attend the annual "Turn toward Busan" ceremony Friday. The ceremony is held to honor fallen soldiers of the United Nations Forces who fought in the Korean War, and is held with veterans and their families across the world turning toward Busan, where the United Nations Memorial Cemetery is located, and holding a minute of silence. Courtenay first proposed the idea in 2007 and South Korea has been holding the ceremony every year except for 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the remains of three British soldiers will be buried during this year's ceremony. They are assumed to have died in the battles of Sulmari and Mount Papyeong in April 1951.

When asked if they had the chance to wind the clock back to 1950 and choose whether to participate in the war, the veterans said they are proud of their choice and would do the same.

"Yes I would," Courtenay said. "I think everybody who was with me, they would do the very same things. … It was something we felt was honorable, something we needed to do even though we were still very young. We would have done the same thing again later in our lives."