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Good Morning.Ìý Over the past couple of days I have been reflecting on the campaign against Japan in the Second World War, but there is another war in the East that continues in living memory.Ìý The Korean War was fought from 1950 to 1953, but it remained without visible public acknowledgment until last year: December last year, in fact, when we unveiled and dedicated the Korean War Memorial.Ìý It stands on the Thames Embankment, in the gardens between the river and the Ministry of Defence.Ìý I was privileged to be able to say prayers of commemoration and reflection at the ceremony, and in attendance were representatives of the British and South Korean governments, and perhaps 200 veterans of the War.

Two astonishing facts still live with me.Ìý The first is that the memorial is a gift from the government and people of South Korea.Ìý They have the deepest affection for those who fought on their behalf, and they believe that our own country has been slow to offer gratitude and recognition.Ìý In turn, many veterans of Korea perceive that they fought in a ‘forgotten war’, and they are deeply grateful for the gift of the memorial.Ìý Most of them were National Servicemen:Ìý the violence was appalling, as were the subsequent privations of those who were taken prisoner.Ìý Second, for all that this ‘forgotten war’ (actually the first to be fought under the United Nations) was over sixty years ago, it never concluded.Ìý There was an Armistice, but no Peace Settlement.Ìý The Korean War is still with us, an ongoing political reality, a living and continuing history.Ìý And so I pray:Ìý Lord, give me wisdom to understand the consequences of my actions, because, for good or for ill, they will shape the lives of others.Ìý Amen.

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