An event to mark International Memorial Day for United Nations (UN) Korean War Veterans was held at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan on Saturday.

Some 12-hundred people attended the “Turn Toward Busan” event, including UN Korean War veterans and their family members visiting Korea at the invitation of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, local Korean War veterans and diplomats from nations that fought under the UN flag during the Korean War.

The commemoration began with a one-minute silence at 11 a.m. to remember the sacrifices and commitment of UN Korean War veterans. The silence was broken with a 21-gun salute, and sirens wailed through Busan.

This was followed by a poetry reading by Catholic nun and poet Lee Hae-in and a flight performance by the Korean Air Force aerobatic team Black Eagles. Event participants also took the stage to tie together the flags of South Korea, the UN and the 22 nations that participated in the war under the UN flag to form a taegeuk — the yin-yang symbol on the Korean flag — to symbolize the everlasting friendship between Korea and the nations that came to its aid in the Korean War.

After the commemorative event, four late Colombian veterans and two late British veterans were laid to rest at UN Memorial Cemetery.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs hosts Turn to Busan every November 11 to mark International Memorial Day for UN Korean War Veterans, which Korea legally designated a day of remembrance in 2020.