Foreign Korean War Veterans to Visit South Korea
A six-day program will bring 36 foreign veterans and family members from six countries to South Korea to honor their wartime service.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Military Jobs
Foreign Korean War veterans and their families will arrive in South Korea on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, for a six-day visit under the Turn Toward Busan program. The trip includes 36 people from six countries and coincides with International U.N. Veterans Memorial Day on Nov. 11.
Why it matters
The visit commemorates the service of foreign veterans who fought in the Korean War under a U.N. mandate, a conflict that drew 1.98 million personnel from 22 countries. For World readers, it highlights how international contributions to the war are still being formally recognized decades later.
The visit includes 36 people from six countries on a six-day trip, drawn from a wartime force of 1.98 million U.N. personnel from 22 countries. The extraction does not detail how many visitors are veterans versus family members.
The players
Vincent Courtenay
A Canadian veteran who first proposed the visit program in 2007 and is traveling to South Korea next week.
Kelly McKeague
A Canadian veteran traveling to South Korea with Vincent Courtenay for the visit.
William Walsh
A 97-year-old former British Army soldier who served in Korea from 1953 to 1955 and is among the visiting veterans.
The details
Foreign veterans and their family members will visit the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, where 2,254 service members from 14 countries are buried, and the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul's Yongsan Ward. The program was first proposed by Canadian veteran Vincent Courtenay in 2007.
Timeline
2007: Vincent Courtenay first proposes the visit program.
1950-1953: Korean War fought with foreign veteran participation.
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026: Foreign veterans and families arrive for the six-day visit.
Nov. 11, 2026: International U.N. Veterans Memorial Day is observed.
Season Trajectory
The visit is scheduled around International U.N. Veterans Memorial Day, which is observed annually on Nov. 11 and recognizes the foreign contributions to the Korean War. It extends that annual recognition into an organized trip that brings surviving veterans back to the sites where their comrades are buried.
Readers following veterans' affairs can note the Nov. 8 arrival and the Nov. 11 memorial observance as fixed dates for coverage. The visit's six-day schedule offers a defined window for those tracking the commemorative program.
The takeaway
The visit shows that recognition of foreign contributions to the Korean War continues decades after the armistice, with veterans returning to the cemeteries and memorials that honor the service members who did not come home. Tracking such programs offers a clear view of how nations maintain historical commemorations.
What happens next
The veterans are scheduled to arrive Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, and International U.N. Veterans Memorial Day is observed Nov. 11, 2026.
Further reading
For related coverage of military service and veteran affairs, see Military Jobs.
