The Embassy of Greece in Korea organized on February 22, a special event for the photo exhibition “ 70 years of friendship: Greece’s images of the years of the Korean War”, at the War Memorial Museum in Seoul to enhance the understanding about the sacrifices of the Sending States – among which Greece – to sustain the efforts of the Republic of Korea for freedom and democracy.
The exhibition was supported by the Greek Ministry of National Defense and set up in collaboration with the National Historical Museum of Greece. This exhibition of Robert McCabe’s unique photos, together with a selection of Korean War photos from the archives of the National Historical Museum of Greece, will be at the War Memorial Museum until February 29.
Greece’s participation in the Korean War marks a milestone in the history of the two nations
“This occurred precisely as the country emerged from a four-year Civil War and only a few years after the devastating Second World War in Europe, that cost Greece more than half a million victims.
The exhibition features 65 large photographs by Robert McCabe, captured during his time as a student at Princeton University. These images showcase Greece’s untouched beauty amidst its economic challenges, are an aesthetic perfection and an important cultural and historical treasure, depicting different places of Greece, capturing moments, feelings and sensations of the 1950s and 1960s, when Greek officers and soldiers participated in the Korean War.
The Ambassador of Greece, H.E. Ekaterini Loupas, in her speech, underlined that “ this exhibition stands as a testament to the enduring friendship between Greece and Korea, forged by our shared values for freedom, democracy, respect of the sovereignty of a country in a peaceful environment, where human dignity develops healthy societies. Greece participated in the Korean War with 10,824 soldiers and 9 transport aircrafts. 196 Greek soldiers were killed in action”.
The President of the War Memorial Museum, Mr. Baek Seung-joo, welcomed all invitees at a beautiful reception with an impressive view of the Namsan Tower and emphasized in his speech the words of Harry Truman, that Korea is Greece of the Far East, alluding in fact to the many historical similarities between the two nations. He also pointed out that this exhibition is about the past relationship between the countries paving the way to the future close collaboration between the two countries.
The Honorary President of the National Historical Museum of Greece, Vice admiral Konstantinos Mazarakis Ainian, spoke about the significance of the Greek contribution to the Korean War, which was the highest in terms of the number of soldiers compared to the population of the country, as well as the historical value of photos of the American photographer Robert McCabe.
The Embassy of Greece, as a token of appreciation for the fruitful cooperation and in order to enlighten the concept of fight for freedom, offered to the War Memorial a painting of the Greek artist Angeliki Angelidis, inspired by the famous naval battle of Salamis, when the ancient Greeks thwarted the Persian invasion in 480 BC.
