[UNFORGOTTEN HEROES] French veterans secretary says time for two countries to 'fall in love again'

“Only by remembering would we not repeat our mistakes.” French Secretary of State for Veterans and Memory Patricia Mirallès said remembering the Korean War is one of the key projects entrusted to her by President Emmanuel Macron...

French Secretary of State for Veterans and Remembrance Patricia Mirallès speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily in Seoul on Tuesday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

“Only by remembering would we not repeat our mistakes.”

French Secretary of State for Veterans and Remembrance Patricia Mirallès said remembering the 1950-53 Korean War is one of the key projects entrusted to her by President Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the French diplomatic residence in Seoul on Tuesday, she said, “France and Korea have a shared history forged in blood, and it will be our top priority to remember the valor and sacrifice of the veterans.”

France deployed some 3,500 troops to the 1950-53 Korean War.

The French Battalion, arriving in Korea against the backdrop of Chinese intervention in the war in 1951, quickly distinguished themselves with a now legendary bayonet charge at the Battle of Wonju in January of that year. The forces also played key roles in the battles in Jipyeong-ri, the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge and the Battle of Arrowhead Ridge.

According to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, some 300 French forces died or went missing in the war, and 1,350 were injured.

Seventy years have passed since the armistice was signed between the warring powers in the Korean War, yet warfare and conflict are not a matter in the past, said Mirallès.

“The young people in France see the realities of war every day on TV, wars are no longer something that happens far away or in films,” she said. “This is why the act of remembrance is so much more relevant and important today.”

During her four-day visit to Korea this week, Mirallès traveled to the site of the Battle of Arrowhead Ridge with some veterans and their families.

She was also scheduled to attend a special wreath-laying ceremony at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea in Busan on Thursday with other ministers, veterans and their families representing over 20 countries that had sent troops or medical assistance to South Korea during the war.

Mirallès and Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik on Wednesday signed an agreement to establish a bilateral program for young students to travel to key historic battlefields in both Korea and France.

“There is already a good energy between the young people of France and Korea, like the French interest in Korean cosmetics and the Korean interest in French fashion,” said Mirallès.

“But not as many may be aware of the French participation in the Korean War,” she continued. “The ministry will be working to address this gap, especially with creative use of media, to speak to the young minds in the languages of their interest.”

Reports in the Korean media this year unearthed cases of veterans who fought in French uniforms from former colonies like Morocco or Senegal.

“As long as these veterans carry a French citizenship today, they will have equal rights as any other French veteran even if they live outside of France,” said Mirallès.

In what was her first visit to Korea, Mirallès said the Asian country left a very strong impression on her.

“If I may say so, I think Koreans have the greatest smiles,” she said.

“They say time flies when you are in love,” she continued. “Seventy years flew by between France and Korea since the end of the war, and I think it is time for us to fall in love with each other again.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]