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Medical support in the Korean War

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During theKorean War,six countries—Sweden,India,Denmark,Norway,Italy,andWest Germany—provided medical support toSouth Koreaand theUnited Nations Forces.They provided a range of medical services, including the provision of mobile field hospitals; medical professionals, including doctors and nurses; hospital beds; equipment; and ambulances.[1]Some of these personnel were killed during the conflict, though they were not combatants againstNorth Koreaand thePeople's Republic of China.

Countries

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Sweden

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Monument to the Swedish medical aid effort inBusan,2009
The Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital inBusan,1950

The Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital was established by the Swedish mission sent to Korea to deal with the humanitarian crisis. Following the North Korean invasion, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution asking all UN member states to support South Korea. The Swedish government responded on 14 July 1950, by authorizing the dispatch of a 200-bed mobile field hospital.[citation needed]Shortly before his death,King Gustaf Vannounced that the Swedish state would cover the hospital's expenses.[2]The Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital personnel arrived in Korea on 23 September 1950, and began medical support on 25 September 1950.[citation needed]Deciding that a stationary 400-bed Evacuation Hospital would be more valuable than the smaller but more mobilefield hospital,which opened at the beginning of October, the Swedish hospital was converted and moved to the compound of theCommercial Middle SchoolinPusan,where it remained until 1958.[citation needed]The hospital was expanded to 600 beds by the end of the war, staffed by 174 Swedish doctors and nurses at any one time, all belonging to theSwedish Red Cross.[citation needed]Among its patients was theROK ArmyMajorPark Chung-in[ko].[3][4]

After theceasefirein July 1953, the institute changed its name to 'Swedish Hospital in Pusan'. The hospital stayed comparatively unchanged as a civilian hospital until it was closed in March 1957. The closing ceremony was held on 20 March 1957, and personnel left soon afterwards.[5][6][7]A small advisory group from Sweden stayed in Korea to advise on medical practices until autumn 1958. Over the duration of the conflict, 1,124 Swedish men and women served in the Swedish hospital, and 19,100 United Nations and 2,400 Korean personnel were treated by Swedish doctors.[citation needed]At the closing ceremony, the hospital received theRepublic of Korea Presidential Citation.Some personnel received the KoreanOrder of Military Merit.[8]

Because of Sweden's reputation for neutrality during the major 20th century conflicts (First World,Second WorldandKorean Wars), Sweden was included as one of the four founding members of theNeutral Nations Supervisory Commission.Several Swedish military personnel served in Korea enforcing thePanmunjomarmistice. Sweden was the first Western European country to establish diplomatic relations and an embassy in North Korea.[9]

India

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Indian troops on theUSSPoint Cruzpreparing to be flown by helicopter to theKorean Demilitarized Zone,7 September 1953
South Korean stamp commemorating the role of India's 60th PFA, 1951

After the outbreak of theKorean Waron 25 June 1950, India decided to provide amedical unit.The 60th Parachute Field Ambulance (60th PFA), commanded by Lieutenant ColonelA. G. Rangaraj,arrived on 20 November 1950 and began to operate on 6 December 1950 at thePyongyangfront. The main unit was attached to theBritish 27th Infantry Brigadeand the1st Commonwealth Divisionand provided medical support at the front, while the detachment served in the hospital atDaegu,providing services to theUN Forces,South Korean Army,and Korean civilians.[10]Around 20,000 soldiers and civilians were treated from November 1950 to February 1954.[11][12][13]

AfterOperation Tomahawkon 21 March 1951, for which the 60th PFA was attached to the187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team,two members of the unit were awarded with theMaha Vir Chakras,while the 60th PFA was awarded the President's Trophy on 10 March 1955.

Indian Army officer—Colonel M. K..Unni Nayar, part of theUnited Nations Korea Committee,died on 12 August 1950 when he was killed in a mine accident.[14][15][16]He was buried inDaegu,and his wife was interred in the same grave in 2012.[17]A memorial to him inSuseong District,Daegu was unveiled on 7 December 1950.[18][19]

Denmark

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Memorial ofMS JutlandiainCopenhagen,2009
Main article:MS Jutlandia § Korean War

Denmark supplied theMS Jutlandiaunder theDanish Red Crossfor the duration of the war.[citation needed]

Norway

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Memorial of NORMASH inOslo,2016
A Norwegian nurse tending to a Canadian soldier inSouth Korea,c. 1951

Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH) was the Norwegianfield hospitalparticipating in theKorean Warfrom 1951 to 1954 underUnited Nations Command.On 29 December 1950, theNorwegian Red Crossreceived a request to establish a hospital in Korea. During the first days of 1951 a plan was drafted for a field hospital based on the AmericanMobile Army Surgical Hospital(MASH) with 60 beds and a staff of 83. On 2 March theNorwegian Parliamentapproved the plan. The first group of personnel left Norway on 16 May, and was followed by the second group on 23 May. The route fromStavangertoTokyoran viaMunich,Nice,Naples,Beirut,Cairo,Karachi,Calcutta,BangkokandHong Kong.From Tokyo the personnel were transported to Seoul by military transport aircraft. They arrived in South Korea on 22 June and NORMASH was first established atUijongbu,approximately 12 miles north of Seoul, on 19 July.

The hospital consisted of bothNissen hutsand tents and had a surgery with four operating tables. The hospital was later moved toTongduchonabout 40 miles north of Seoul, and was moved a third time to its final location a few miles further north. In total, NORMASH treated 90,000 patients, of which the largest groups were the U.S. (36%), South Korea (33%) and the various British and Commonwealth troops (27%). The unit also treated 172 North Korean and Chinese POWs. NORMASH performed on average eight surgeries per day. In the fall of 1951 it was decided to increase the personnel from 83 to 105, and on 26 October the decision was made to maintain the hospital as anarmy hospitalfor the duration of the UN operation in Korea.

With the signing of theArmistice Agreementon 27 July 1953, the hospital stopped receiving wounded soldiers, but continued to treat substantial number of Korean civilians. Though anarmisticewas in effect, the stability in the region was questionable, and the hospital was kept at the ready in case of a breaking of theceasefire.In the fall of 1953 NORMASH was the only hospital for four divisions in the 1st Army Corps. The hospital was kept while awaiting the establishment of a Scandinavian training hospital in Seoul,[20]and it was not until 17 October 1954 that the hospital received orders to return to Norway. Four days later the last patient was released, and on 10 November all equipment was returned to the US Army.

In total 623 men and women served in NORMASH over seven contingents, two of which were after the Armistice. The hospital lost two personnel; driver Arne Christiansen was shot and killed in 1952, and laboratory technician Brit Reisæther was killed in a car accident in 1954. NORMASH twice received theUnited States Meritorious Unit Commendationand theRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation(6 October 1952, 23 November 1953). All personnel also received theNorwegian Korea Medal,and were visited byMarilyn Monroe.[citation needed]

Italy

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The 68th Italian Red Cross Hospital (L’OSPEDALE Croce Rossa Italiana N°68) was an Italian field hospital in the Korean War.[21]After the outbreak of war on 25 June 1950, Italy dispatched the medical unit to Korea to aid the humanitarian disaster, even though Italy was not a member of theUnited Nationsuntil 1955.[22]

TheItalian Red Crosssupported this hospital with personnel from the Military Corps (Corpo Militare della Croce Rossa Italiana) and the Volunteer Nurses Corps (Corpo delle Infermiere Volontarie della Croce Rossa Italiana). The hospital staff leftNapolion 16 October, and arrived inBusanon 16 November; the hospital opened on 6 December at theUsin Elementary School facilityinYeongdeungpo District,Seoul.On 30 December 1952, a suspectedcommunistarsonist lit a fire in the hospital, destroying it. A new hospital was built by 23 February 1953. On 30 December 1954, the hospital was transferred to the South Korean Government,[23]and three days later the hospital staff left for Italy.

The hospital twice received theRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation[24]On 2 June 1989, Graiella Simbolotti, the Italian ambassador to South Korea, installed a memorial at Usin School.[25]

West Germany

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On 7 April 1953,Chancellor of GermanyAdenauervisited the United States and met PresidentEisenhower,where he proposed that West Germany offer medical support. Two parties of medical personnel left Germany for Korea in January and February 1954.[26][27]The hospital opened on 17 May inBusanwith 80 personnel[28][29]and closed nearly five years later on 14 March 1959, with a total of 200 Germans having treated about 2,400,000 civilians.[30][31]

PresidentMoon Jae-invisited Germany in July 2017 where he met the surviving staff member, Karl Hauser, and the others' descendants, acknowledging their contributions; Hauser was awarded theRepublic of Korea Presidential Citation.[32][33]The former staff of the hospital and their descendants visited South Korea in November 2017;[34]the South Korean Government acknowledged Germany's support in June 2018.[35]A memorial dedicated to their service, located inSeo District,Busan,was erected in 1997.[36]

Memorials

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On 20 September 1976, the Medical Support Corps Participation Monument was unveiled inYeongdo District,Busan,commemorating the medical support provided by Sweden, India, Denmark, Norway, and Italy.[37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^The source of statistics in this article is the official book about Korean War statistics published bySouth Korean Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military Historyin June 2014.
  2. ^"WHKMLA: Sweden's Contribution during the Korean War".Zum.de.Retrieved15 July2012.
  3. ^Phác định nhân (박정인,88세 백골사단장 별세골수반공 야전형 일생]
  4. ^6.25전쟁 전투 리더십 '전투 중 복부 관통상 스웨덴 야전병원 후송'
  5. ^고마운 thụy điển bệnh viện (서전병원)의 công tích (공적)
  6. ^Thụy điển xích thập tự bệnh viện (서전적십자병원)을 cảm tạ (감사)로써보낸다
  7. ^Thụy điển bệnh viện chức viên (서전병원직원) 이달 mạt (말)에 ly hàn (이한)
  8. ^Official Database of Awards - Republic of Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety
  9. ^Johnson, Simon."It never got paid for the Volvos, but could Sweden mediate with..."U.S.Retrieved6 May2018.
  10. ^6·25 부상병 20만 명 치료한 인도 quân 군의관
  11. ^The Statistics of the Korean War, 391 Page - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (E-BOOK)Archived2023-07-09 at theWayback Machine(in Korean)
  12. ^The Statistics of the Korean War, 391 Page - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (PDF)Archived2021-01-11 at theWayback Machine(in Korean)
  13. ^Kumar, Sanjay (7 March 2022)."Exhibition showcases Indian chapter in Korean War".The Korea Herald.Retrieved2 April2022.
  14. ^잊혀진 한 인도군 장교의 죽음
  15. ^68년 만에 6·25전쟁 전사자 명비에 오르는 인도인 장교
  16. ^유엔기념공원에 인도군 전사자 빠졌다
  17. ^6·25전쟁의 격전지와 기념시설물 - 6·25전쟁 UN참전 기념시설물유엔한국위원단 인도 대표 나야 대령 기념비
  18. ^제68회 현충일 나야 대령 기념비 참배식
  19. ^나야대령 기념비
  20. ^"National Medical Center, Seoul".norway.or.kr.2012. Archived fromthe originalon 7 February 2012.Retrieved24 February2012.
  21. ^GLI ITALIANI NELLA GUERRA DI COREA – L’OSPEDALE CRI N°68
  22. ^"Italian Red Cross Hospital".Archived fromthe originalon 22 August 2012.Retrieved2 June2012.
  23. ^Vĩnh đăng phổ y thái lợi bệnh viện (영등포이태리병원) 어제우리 chính phủ (정부)에 chính thức di quản (정식이관)
  24. ^Y thái lợi xích thập tự bệnh viện (이태리적십자병원) 30 nhật (일)에 đại thống lĩnh biểu chương (대통령표창)
  25. ^“참전기념 시설물 소개” ⑳ 이탈리아 의무부대 6.25전쟁 참전기념비
  26. ^후호 giáo thụ nhất hành (교수일행) nhị thập bát nhật trứ hàn (이십팔일착한) tây độc y liệu đoàn tiên phát đội (서독의료단선발대)
  27. ^Phái hàn tây độc y liệu đội (파한서독의요대) tứ bát danh (사팔명)이또 hướng hàn (향한)
  28. ^Phủ sơn tây độc bệnh viện (부산서독병원) thập thất nhật (십칠일)에 khai viện (개원)
  29. ^The Germans who healed Koreans
  30. ^Tây độc bệnh viện bế viện thức (서독병원폐원식)
  31. ^Phái hàn tây độc y liệu đội (파한서독의요대) tứ bát danh (사팔명)이또 hướng hàn (향한)
  32. ^President Moon meets with German medical personnel
  33. ^Văn 대통령, 한국 파견 độc 의료지원단에 “영원히 감사”
  34. ^6·25 độc 의료지원단 중 ‘유일 생존자’ 칼 하우저 lai hàn
  35. ^독일, 마침내 한국전쟁 의료지원국으로 포함되었습니다.
  36. ^독일 적십자 병원터 기념비
  37. ^의료지원단 참전기념비
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