Rabat – The Embassy of South Korea in Rabat and the Moroccan NGO Diplomatic Foundation have presented the collective work “Morocco-Korea, Blood Brothers,” with the aim of highlighting the two countries’ deep historical roots and paying tribute to Moroccan veterans of the Korean war.
The book depicts a “forgotten part of our shared history,” said the Korean embassy in a statement, explaining that the work features the participation of “brave Moroccan soldiers” in the Korean war, which took place between June 25, 1950, and July 27, 1953.
The authors carried out active research looking into American and French military archives, where they found traces of the “tragic journey” of 21 Moroccan soldiers, who “shed their blood for their Korean brothers,” added the statement.
“It is their [the soldiers’] story that is told, with emotion and thoughtfulness, in this bilingual book,” added the statement. Published in both English and French, the book depicts the “violence and hardship of an almost forgotten war.”
The book notably focuses on two Moroccan-born soldiers Julien Djian and Mohamed Lasri, whose remains were discovered in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Korea last year. Dijan, who was of Moroccan-Jewish origin, died on July 4, 1953, while Lasri, who was from the Moroccan city of Taza, died on March 5, 1951.
Read also: Korean Embassy Pays Tribute to Moroccan Veterans of Korean War
The publication of the book is also part of Morocco and Korea’s commemoration of their 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The two countries established diplomatic ties on July 6, 1962.
The book release took place on December 20, also included the exhibition of over 20 exclusive photos taken from the book.
The event hosted the Korean Vice Minister of Patriots and Veterans Yoon Jong-Jin, the High Commissioner for Former Resistance Fighters and Former Members of the Liberation Army Mostapha El Ktiri, and the Director of the Royal Archives Bahija Simou.
Also present at the exhibition were the ambassadors and other heads of diplomatic missions representing around 20 countries that took part in the Korean War.
The Korean Ambassador to Morocco alongside other attendees at the event
The Korean war, which began after North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 people and caused 1,500,000 injuries, indicated the statement.
As the search continues for those that went missing in battle, the Korean embassy in Morocco, the Diplomatic Foundation, and the Republic of Korea hope to trace down more Moroccan soldiers, their families, and their descendants to honor and cherish their memory.
