Anne visits South Korea to mark battle anniversary
The Crown Princess honored the sacrifice of soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Imjin River as she began her official tour of South Korea.
Anne arrived at the vast United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan on Tuesday with her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
He laid a wreath of red flowers at the base of a lion statue in honor of fallen British soldiers during a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Imjin River clash, the bloodiest conflict the British Army has endured since the Second World War.
The King’s sister also placed a single white chrysanthemum on the grave of Private Martin Hogan, a British Army Black Watch officer, to commemorate the anniversary of his death on July 14, 1952, at the age of 19.
During the Battle of the Imjin River, approximately 4000 soldiers of the British 29th Brigade faced more than 27,000 men from the Chinese 63rd Army during the Korean War, including approximately 700 from the 1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment.
For three days from 22 to 25 April 1951, the “Glorious Glosters” fought a last stand on Hill 235, later renamed Gloster Hill.
Approximately 59 people died and 526 people were captured and 180 were injured in the defense of the hill. Another 34 men died in captivity.
However, their heroic tactics delayed the advance of Communist troops, prevented them from gaining the upper hand over the Republic of Korea and United Union forces, and prevented a direct attack on the capital, Seoul.
The princess last visited South Korea for the Winter Olympics in 2018.
The King made an official trip to South Korea in 1992 as the Prince of Wales and with his then-wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
The mother later met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at his Cheongwadae residence, also known as the Blue House, in Seoul.
At a reception in the capital celebrating the UK’s ties with the republic, Anne met members of K-Pop group NMIXX, with whom the British embassy has a girl empowerment partnership.
The Princess Royal is holding talks in the republic before leaving for Thailand on Thursday for a long-distance overseas tour.
