A national commemorative service to mark the 65th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice will be held on Friday 27 July 2018 at the Australian National Korean War Memorial on Anzac Parade in Canberra.
The Armistice ending three years of fighting on the Korean peninsula was signed on 27 July 1953. The present day border between North and South Korea approximates the border as it was in June 1950 when North Korea invaded the south, beginning a war that pitted the Cold War powers of communist China and the Soviet Union against the United States and her allies, fighting under United Nations’ auspices, in a massive military confrontation.
All three of Australia’s armed services took part in the Korean War. The Royal Australian Navy committed ships four days after the war began; the Royal Australian Air Force’s 77 Squadron was deployed to Korea within a week of the invasion, and the first Australian ground troops arrived in September 1950. Approximately 17,000 Australian personnel served in Korea, including Army and RAAF nurses. Some 340 lost their lives, more than 1,200 were wounded and 30 were taken prisoner.
This is a free event and members of the public are encouraged to attend. This is not a ticketed event and limited, un-allocated seating will be provided for general public. Standing room will be available once the unallocated seating area has reached capacity.
For more information, please email [email protected]
