SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Monday held an event to commemorate the participation of countries that fought under the United Nations flag during the 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans ministry said.

The event marking U.N. Forces Participation Day, which falls on July 27, took place in Yeouido in western Seoul, bringing together about 1,000 participants from the 22 countries that provided troops or medical support during the war, according to the ministry.

During the ceremony, the ministry awarded state medals to two Korean War veterans who fought alongside South Korean forces in recognition of their distinguished service. It also presented a civil merit medal to the daughter of a Korean War veteran for her contributions to establishing a Korean War veterans memorial in Texas.

A total of 1.988 million people served under the U.N. Command during the Korean War. Of them, 40,803 were killed, 103,460 were wounded, 3,950 went missing and 5,819 became prisoners of war.

Sixteen countries, including the United States, Britain, the Netherlands and France, dispatched combat troops, while six others, including Sweden, India and Germany, sent medical units.

The South Korean government designated July 27 as U.N. Forces Participation Day in 2013 to honor the sacrifices and contributions by troops for the Korean War. The day also marks the signing of the Armistice Agreement that halted the three-year conflict.

Later in the day, the ministry plans to host a banquet at a hotel in central Seoul to express gratitude to Korean War veterans and their family members.

About 200 people are expected to attend the event, including Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul, Lt. Gen. Scott Winter, deputy commander of the United Nations Command, and Bernadette Therese Fernandez, the Philippine ambassador to South Korea.

sookim@yna.co.kr

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