During the
Korean War
, six countries?
Sweden
,
India
,
Denmark
,
Norway
,
Italy
, and
West Germany
?provided medical support to
South Korea
and the
United Nations Forces
. They provided a range of medical services, including the provision of mobile field hospitals; medical professionals, including doctors and nurses; hospital beds; equipment; and ambulances.
[1]
Some of these personnel were killed during the conflict, though they were not combatants against
North Korea
and the
People's Republic of China
.
Countries
[
edit
]
Sweden
[
edit
]
The Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital was established by the Swedish mission sent to Korea to deal with the humanitarian crisis. Following the North Korean invasion, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution asking all UN member states to support South Korea. The Swedish government responded on 14 July 1950, by authorizing the dispatch of a 200-bed mobile field hospital.
[
citation needed
]
Shortly before his death,
King Gustaf V
announced that the Swedish state would cover the hospital's expenses.
[2]
The Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital personnel arrived in Korea on 23 September 1950, and began medical support on 25 September 1950.
[
citation needed
]
Deciding that a stationary 400-bed Evacuation Hospital would be more valuable than the smaller but more mobile
field hospital
, which opened at the beginning of October, the Swedish hospital was converted and moved to the compound of the
Commercial Middle School
in
Pusan
, where it remained until 1958.
[
citation needed
]
The hospital was expanded to 600 beds by the end of the war, staffed by 174 Swedish doctors and nurses at any one time, all belonging to the
Swedish Red Cross
.
[
citation needed
]
Among its patients was the
ROK Army
Major
Park Chung-in
[
ko
]
.
[3]
[4]
After the
ceasefire
in July 1953, the institute changed its name to 'Swedish Hospital in Pusan'. The hospital stayed comparatively unchanged as a civilian hospital until it was closed in March 1957. The closing ceremony was held on 20 March 1957, and personnel left soon afterwards.
[5]
[6]
[7]
A small advisory group from Sweden stayed in Korea to advise on medical practices until autumn 1958. Over the duration of the conflict, 1,124 Swedish men and women served in the Swedish hospital, and 19,100 United Nations and 2,400 Korean personnel were treated by Swedish doctors.
[
citation needed
]
At the closing ceremony, the hospital received the
Republic of Korea Presidential Citation
. Some personnel received the Korean
Order of Military Merit
.
[8]
Because of Sweden's reputation for neutrality during the major 20th century conflicts (
First World
,
Second World
and
Korean Wars
), Sweden was included as one of the four founding members of the
Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
. Several Swedish military personnel served in Korea enforcing the
Panmunjom
armistice. Sweden was the first Western European country to establish diplomatic relations and an embassy in North Korea.
[9]
India
[
edit
]
After the outbreak of the
Korean War
on 25 June 1950, India decided to provide a
medical unit
. The 60th Parachute Field Ambulance (60th PFA), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
A. G. Rangaraj
, arrived on 20 November 1950 and began to operate on 6 December 1950 at the
Pyongyang
front. The main unit was attached to the
British 27th Infantry Brigade
and the
1st Commonwealth Division
and provided medical support at the front, while the detachment served in the hospital at
Daegu
, providing services to the
UN Forces
,
South Korean Army
, and Korean civilians.
[10]
Around 20,000 soldiers and civilians were treated from November 1950 to February 1954.
[11]
[12]
[13]
After
Operation Tomahawk
on 21 March 1951, for which the 60th PFA was attached to the
187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team
, two members of the unit were awarded with the
Maha Vir Chakras
, while the 60th PFA was awarded the President's Trophy on 10 March 1955.
Indian Army officer?Colonel M. K..Unni Nayar, part of the
United Nations Korea Committee
, died on 12 August 1950 when he was killed in a mine accident.
[14]
[15]
[16]
He was buried in
Daegu
, and his wife was interred in the same grave in 2012.
[17]
A memorial to him in
Suseong District
, Daegu was unveiled on 7 December 1950.
[18]
[19]
Denmark
[
edit
]
Denmark supplied the
MS Jutlandia
under the
Danish Red Cross
for the duration of the war.
[
citation needed
]
Norway
[
edit
]
Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH) was the Norwegian
field hospital
participating in the
Korean War
from 1951 to 1954 under
United Nations Command
. On 29 December 1950, the
Norwegian Red Cross
received a request to establish a hospital in Korea. During the first days of 1951 a plan was drafted for a field hospital based on the American
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
(MASH) with 60 beds and a staff of 83. On 2 March the
Norwegian Parliament
approved the plan. The first group of personnel left Norway on 16 May, and was followed by the second group on 23 May. The route from
Stavanger
to
Tokyo
ran via
Munich
,
Nice
,
Naples
,
Beirut
,
Cairo
,
Karachi
,
Calcutta
,
Bangkok
and
Hong Kong
. From Tokyo the personnel were transported to Seoul by military transport aircraft. They arrived in South Korea on 22 June and NORMASH was first established at
Uijongbu
, approximately 12 miles north of Seoul, on 19 July.
The hospital consisted of both
Nissen huts
and tents and had a surgery with four operating tables. The hospital was later moved to
Tongduchon
about 40 miles north of Seoul, and was moved a third time to its final location a few miles further north. In total, NORMASH treated 90,000 patients, of which the largest groups were the U.S. (36%), South Korea (33%) and the various British and Commonwealth troops (27%). The unit also treated 172 North Korean and Chinese POWs. NORMASH performed on average eight surgeries per day. In the fall of 1951 it was decided to increase the personnel from 83 to 105, and on 26 October the decision was made to maintain the hospital as an
army hospital
for the duration of the UN operation in Korea.
With the signing of the
Armistice Agreement
on 27 July 1953, the hospital stopped receiving wounded soldiers, but continued to treat substantial number of Korean civilians. Though an
armistice
was in effect, the stability in the region was questionable, and the hospital was kept at the ready in case of a breaking of the
ceasefire
. In the fall of 1953 NORMASH was the only hospital for four divisions in the 1st Army Corps. The hospital was kept while awaiting the establishment of a Scandinavian training hospital in Seoul,
[20]
and it was not until 17 October 1954 that the hospital received orders to return to Norway. Four days later the last patient was released, and on 10 November all equipment was returned to the US Army.
In total 623 men and women served in NORMASH over seven contingents, two of which were after the Armistice. The hospital lost two personnel; driver Arne Christiansen was shot and killed in 1952, and laboratory technician Brit Reisæther was killed in a car accident in 1954. NORMASH twice received the
United States Meritorious Unit Commendation
and the
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
(6 October 1952, 23 November 1953). All personnel also received the
Norwegian Korea Medal
, and were visited by
Marilyn Monroe
.
[
citation needed
]
Italy
[
edit
]
The 68th Italian Red Cross Hospital (L’OSPEDALE Croce Rossa Italiana N°68) was an Italian field hospital in the Korean War.
[21]
After the outbreak of war on 25 June 1950, Italy dispatched the medical unit to Korea to aid the humanitarian disaster, even though Italy was not a member of the
United Nations
until 1955.
[22]
The
Italian Red Cross
supported this hospital with personnel from the Military Corps (
Corpo Militare della Croce Rossa Italiana
) and the Volunteer Nurses Corps (
Corpo delle Infermiere Volontarie della Croce Rossa Italiana
). The hospital staff left
Napoli
on 16 October, and arrived in
Busan
on 16 November; the hospital opened on 6 December at the
Usin Elementary School facility
in
Yeongdeungpo District
,
Seoul
. On 30 December 1952, a suspected
communist
arsonist lit a fire in the hospital, destroying it. A new hospital was built by 23 February 1953. On 30 December 1954, the hospital was transferred to the South Korean Government,
[23]
and three days later the hospital staff left for Italy.
The hospital twice received the
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
[24]
On 2 June 1989, Graiella Simbolotti, the Italian ambassador to South Korea, installed a memorial at Usin School.
[25]
West Germany
[
edit
]
On 7 April 1953,
Chancellor of Germany
Adenauer
visited the United States and met President
Eisenhower
, where he proposed that West Germany offer medical support. Two parties of medical personnel left Germany for Korea in January and February 1954.
[26]
[27]
The hospital opened on 17 May in
Busan
with 80 personnel
[28]
[29]
and closed nearly five years later on 14 March 1959, with a total of 200 Germans having treated about 2,400,000 civilians.
[30]
[31]
President
Moon Jae-in
visited Germany in July 2017 where he met the surviving staff member, Karl Hauser, and the others' descendants, acknowledging their contributions; Hauser was awarded the
Republic of Korea Presidential Citation
.
[32]
[33]
The former staff of the hospital and their descendants visited South Korea in November 2017;
[34]
the South Korean Government acknowledged Germany's support in June 2018.
[35]
A memorial dedicated to their service, located in
Seo District
,
Busan
, was erected in 1997.
[36]
Memorials
[
edit
]
On 20 September 1976, the Medical Support Corps Participation Monument was unveiled in
Yeongdo District
,
Busan
, commemorating the medical support provided by Sweden, India, Denmark, Norway, and Italy.
[37]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
The source of statistics in this article is the official book about Korean War statistics published by
South Korean Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History
in June 2014.
- ^
"WHKMLA : Sweden's Contribution during the Korean War"
. Zum.de
. Retrieved
15 July
2012
.
- ^
朴定仁(박정인,88歲 白骨師團長 別世
骨髓反共 野銓衡 一生]
- ^
6.25戰爭 戰鬪 리더십 '戰鬪 中 腹部 貫通傷 스웨덴 野戰病院 後送'
- ^
고마운瑞典病院(서전병원)의功績(공적)
- ^
瑞典赤十字病院(서전적십자병원)을 感謝(感謝)로써보낸다
- ^
瑞典病院職員(서전病院職員) 이달末(말)에離韓(이한)
- ^
Official Database of Awards - Republic of Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety
- ^
Johnson, Simon.
"It never got paid for the Volvos, but could Sweden mediate with..."
U.S
. Retrieved
6 May
2018
.
- ^
6·25 負傷兵 20萬 名 治療한 印度軍 軍醫官
- ^
The Statistics of the Korean War, 391 Page - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (E-BOOK)
Archived
2023-07-09 at the
Wayback Machine
(in Korean)
- ^
The Statistics of the Korean War, 391 Page - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (PDF)
Archived
2021-01-11 at the
Wayback Machine
(in Korean)
- ^
Kumar, Sanjay (7 March 2022).
"Exhibition showcases Indian chapter in Korean War"
. The Korea Herald
. Retrieved
2 April
2022
.
- ^
잊혀진 한 印度軍 將校의 죽음
- ^
68年 만에 6·25戰爭 戰死者 明妃에 오르는 印度人 將校
- ^
유엔記念公園에 印度軍 戰死者 빠졌다
- ^
6·25戰爭의 激戰地와 記念施設物 - 6·25戰爭 UN參戰 記念施設物유엔韓國委員團 印度 代表 나야 大領 記念碑
- ^
第68回 顯忠日 나야 大領 記念碑 參拜式
- ^
나野大領 記念碑
- ^
"National Medical Center, Seoul"
.
norway.or.kr
. 2012. Archived from
the original
on 7 February 2012
. Retrieved
24 February
2012
.
- ^
GLI ITALIANI NELLA GUERRA DI COREA ? L’OSPEDALE CRI N°68
- ^
"Italian Red Cross Hospital"
. Archived from
the original
on 22 August 2012
. Retrieved
2 June
2012
.
- ^
永登浦伊太利病院(永登浦伊太利病院) 어제우리政府(政府)에正式移管(정식이관)
- ^
伊太利赤十字病院(伊太利적십자병원) 30日(일)에大統領表彰(대통령표창)
- ^
「參戰記念 施設物 紹介」 ? 이탈리아 義務部隊 6.25戰爭 參戰記念碑
- ^
後號敎授一行(敎授一行) 二十八日着韓(二十八日착한) 西獨醫療團先發隊(西獨醫療團先發隊)
- ^
派韓西獨醫療隊(破閑서독의요대) 四八名(四八名)이또向韓(向한)
- ^
釜山西獨病院(釜山西獨病院) 十七日(十七日)에開院(개원)
- ^
The Germans who healed Koreans
- ^
西獨病院閉院式(西獨病院閉院式)
- ^
派韓西獨醫療隊(破閑서독의요대) 四八名(四八名)이또向韓(向한)
- ^
President Moon meets with German medical personnel
- ^
文大統領, 韓國 派遣 獨 醫療支援團에“영원히 感謝”
- ^
6·25 獨 醫療支援團 中 ‘唯一 生存者’ 칼 하우저 來韓
- ^
獨逸, 마침내 韓國戰爭 醫療支援國으로 包含되었습니다.
- ^
獨逸 赤十字 病院터 記念碑
- ^
醫療支援團 參戰記念碑
External links
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]