Korean War volunteer veterans from Japan to be honored in Busan ceremony

SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- A veterans group representing past ethnic Korean students from Japan who volunteered to fight in the 1950-53 Korean War will hold an event to commemorate the sacrifices of those who failed to return home following the three-year conflict, officials said Thursday.

The event, slated for Friday at a Buddhist temple in the southeastern city of Busan, will take place to honor the 242 Korean students in Japan who joined a volunteer army to fight alongside U.N. forces during the war but were later denied entry back home by the Japanese government.

The veterans group was assembled by members of the volunteer army who were left behind in Korea.

Friday's event will be attended by some 100 personnel, including Vice Veterans Minister Kang Yun-jin and the bereaved family members, among others.

This photo, provided by the veterans ministry, shows Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul paying his respects at a memorial stone commemorating Korean students in Japan who participated in the 1950-53 Korean War set up in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 6, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)