Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo (left) greets Britain's Princess Anne at the UN Memorial Cemetery on Tuesday. [Busan City]
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo (left) greets Britain's Princess Anne at the UN Memorial Cemetery on Tuesday. [Busan City]

Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo welcomed Britain's Princess Anne at the UN Memorial Cemetery on Tuesday, as she visited the city to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imjin River during the Korean War, the city announced Wednesday.

Welcoming the princess, Jeon said Busan, home to the world's only UN military cemetery, would long honor the service of war veterans and pass their noble spirit to future generations. Princess Anne thanked him for the warm welcome, saying she was very pleased to meet him.

The visit was arranged to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imjin River — one of the fiercest engagements of the Korean War — and to pay tribute to British soldiers buried at the UN Memorial Cemetery.

Princess Anne, accompanied by her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, laid a wreath mixed with red poppies to honor Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the Korean War. The cemetery holds the remains of 2,339 UN veterans from 14 countries, of whom 1,598 were from Commonwealth nations.

Princess Anne also visited the grave of Maj. Patrick Angier, a British soldier buried as an unknown soldier before his identity was established. Maj. Angier was killed in action at the Battle of Imjin River, and his headstone had originally been inscribed as that of an unknown soldier. She also laid chrysanthemums at the grave of British Private M. Hogan on the anniversary of his death.

She then paid her respects to soldiers who had received the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honor for valor. Four British soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross during the Korean War, and three of them are interred at the UN Memorial Cemetery.

After touring the cemetery, Princess Anne said South Korea's development today would have been difficult to achieve without the sacrifice of British soldiers. "Those who were killed in action and the veterans who served would feel deeply proud and gratified to see how far Korea has come," she said.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com