Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo worked on omnidirectional defense diplomacy in India

 
Jeong held an event for Indian veterans of the Korean War to express his “gratitude for their sacrifice”
 Jeong also attended a defense expo - DEFEXPO INDIA - held in India

On the sidelines of the exhibition, Jeong held bilateral talks with defense ministers from different countries, and discussed ways to expand cooperation in the arms industry

Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo, who was visiting at the invitation of his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, engaged in defense diplomacy activities in India.
 
“To mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, Jeong held an event for Indian veterans of the Korean War and their families in New Delhi, on the Wednesday, to express his gratitude for the role they played,” a ministry spokesperson said on February 6. The spokesperson added that India had played an important role during the Korean War by dispatching a medical team consisting of 627 people, the largest of any of the countries that provided medical assistance, and taking care of around 220,000 people including Korean soldiers and civilians.
 
At the event co-hosted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to India, “Helping hands from India and the young Indians that gave their lives 70 years ago have led to ROK being able to help other countries. ROK has changed from an “aid recipient country” to a country that now provides at least 2 billion dollars per year to countries in need around the world, and contributes to the maintenance of international peace. I sincerely express my gratitude and respect to India, Indian veterans and their families for their sacrifice and devotion,” Jeong said. “As ROK’s Minister of National Defense, I will firmly safeguard the peace that was built through the sacrifice of these veterans to prevent the recurrence of a devastating war, and will work to promote peace based on our mighty defense power,” he added.
 
Prior to the event, Jeong awarded a “medal for an apostle of peace” designed by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to the participants to reaffirm the mutual respect and friendship between ROK and India, as well as express his gratitude for the noble sacrifice and contribution of the war veterans.

The event was attended by 35 members of the families of Indian war veterans, including the granddaughter of the late lieutenant colonel A. G. Rangaraj, who was sent to ROK as the commander of India’s 60th Parachute Field Ambulance Platoon. Rangaraj is one of the war heroes who received the “Mahar Vir Chakra” honor from the Indian government, as he was acknowledged for taking care of a massive number of the wounded in the Korean War. Rangaraj and the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance Platoon contributed to saving many lives after they were sent to the front lines together with the British forces during the counterattack by the UN Forces. Significantly, the Platoon moved forward to the front lines under a hail of bullets to evacuate the wounded while the Australian forces were fighting against the attack by the Chinese forces in February 1951. When he was involved in the war, Rangaraj was dedicated to medical work, directly organizing an operation team and operating on patients in the battlefields. During his visit to the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance Platoon the next day, Jeong expressed his gratitude again for their support and the role they played during the Korean War.

Meanwhile, Jeong engaged in defense diplomacy while attending a defense expo, “DEFEXPO India 2020,” held in Lucknow.
 On the sidelines of the exhibition, Jeong held bilateral talks with his Oman counterpart, Sayyid Badr Bin Saud, and his United Arab Emirates counterpart, Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi, as well as Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh. They discussed ways to expand cooperation in the arms industry.

By Su-Yeol, Maeng <guns13@dema.mil.kr >

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