This composite photo is captured from YouTube channel Korean Englishman. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 7 (Korea Bizwire) — A video of a British veteran who participated in the 1950-53 Korean War is creating an online sensation.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs reported that a video starring Alan Guy, 90, has garnered more than 2.18 million views on YouTube since it was posted on June 22.
The video was jointly produced by the ministry and a YouTube channel Korean Englishman in commemoration of the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.
Guy served as a staff sergeant in the Royal Army Medical Corps when he arrived in Korea in January 1953. He has toured military units on the frontlines to educate soldiers on how to prevent malaria and other contagious diseases.
“You’re helping a beleaguered country. Something evil has happened to an innocent party. Can we help? And I’m proud to have done that,” Guy said in the video.
He also recounted that when he returned to England after the war, there was no homecoming event prepared for him. He had to walk 8 kilometers to get home because there was no transportation available.
Unlike his home country, however, Korea has treated him ‘like a lord’, inviting him every year to visit the country.
“We’re not looking for anything apart from the recognition that we exist,” he told the Korean audience.
“Thank you all so much for all that you do for all our veterans,” he said.
“You’re not only doing it for us, but it’s for our children, our grandchildren, and no doubt it will continue for a long time to come.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
