General Baek Sun-yeop to be buried with soil from 8 major battlefields

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The late General Baek Seon-yeop (retired Army General) will rest in the National Cemetery wearing the combat uniform he wore during the Korean War.

According to the military on the 14th, General Baek is scheduled to wear a U.S. military combat uniform, identical in style to the one he wore during the Korean War, as his burial garment at the encoffining ceremony held at Seoul Asan Medical Center that afternoon. At that time, the Republic of Korea Army did not have its own combat uniforms and fought the war wearing uniforms used by the U.S. military during World War II. It is reported that the bereaved family personally purchased a 1944 U.S. military combat uniform from an antique market.

The funeral service, presided over by Army Chief of Staff Seo Wook, the funeral committee chairman, will be held at 7:30 a.m. at Seoul Asan Medical Center, attended by family members and former Army Chiefs of Staff. Attendance will be minimized considering the COVID-19 situation. Flags of units where General Baek served in the past, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Headquarters, 1st Field Army (Ground Operations Command), 1st and 2nd Corps, and 1st and 5th Divisions, will be displayed in the funeral hall.

Following this, a eulogy will be read by retired Major General Song Young-geun, who was the commander of the 1st Division that General Baek led during the Korean War. After the family and attendees lay wreaths, the funeral service will conclude with a military band performance.

The hearse will then move following the Military Police vehicles of the Capital Defense Command and is expected to arrive at the burial site, the National Daejeon Cemetery, at 11:30 a.m. The burial ceremony will be held at the General’s Section 2, presided over by Chief Seo.

The grave area for ministerial-level officers (generals), patriots, and others buried at the Daejeon National Cemetery is 26.4㎡ (8 pyeong), but only 23 plots remain. It is expected to reach full capacity by the end of this year. In contrast, for officers below the rank of colonel and enlisted soldiers, the grave area is 3.3㎡ (1 pyeong), so cremation followed by reburial of the ashes is the adopted method. Since its establishment in 1979, the Daejeon National Cemetery has been divided into officer and enlisted soldier sections. However, due to a shortage of plots, since 2017, the officer and enlisted soldier sections have been operated as a combined cemetery.

At the burial ceremony, former Army Chief of Staff Kim Pan-gyu will deliver a memorial address, and four veterans of the Battle of Dabudong and four Army soldiers will scatter soil on General Baek’s grave. Soil from eight locations significant to General Baek, including Dabudong in Gyeongbuk, will be sprinkled.

During his lifetime, General Baek expressed his wish to "be with the comrades who died in battle" and reportedly drew maps of the so-called eight major battle sites, including Dabudong, Munsan Papyeongsan, and Paju Bongilcheon, which he shared with officials at the War Memorial of Korea.