Delivered to French Saint-Cyr Military Academy Cadets Visiting Korea
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has specially produced a flag commemorating Captain Robert Goupil, a graduate of the French Saint-Cyr Military Academy who died in the Korean War, to honor his death and present it to the junior cadets who wish to remember him.
According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on the 9th, Minister Kang Jeong-ae will present Captain Goupil's flag to the 209th class cadets of the French Saint-Cyr Military Academy visiting Korea at the Jipyeong-ri Battle Memorial Ceremony held in front of the United Nations Memorial in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, on the 10th.
Captain Goupil participated in the Korean War as part of the first contingent of the French Expeditionary Battalion in November 1950 and was active in battles such as the Battle of Jipyeong-ri. He was killed on September 26 of the following year during the Battle of "Danjang Ridge" while scouting enemy positions when hit by a mortar shell.
The Saint-Cyr Military Academy assigns the names of exemplary officers or battles to each class to foster a sense of belonging and pride among cadets. The 209th class, graduating in July next year, has adopted Captain Goupil's name as their class title. To commemorate this, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs created a flag combining the emblem of the 209th class with the flag of the 2nd Company of the French Battalion, which Captain Goupil commanded during the Korean War, and will present it as a gift.
The Battle of "Danjang Ridge" took place on a hill between Yanggu-gun and Inje-gun in Gangwon Province from September 13 to October 13, 1951. More than 3,700 United Nations troops and over 25,000 North Korean communist and Chinese troops were killed or wounded during the battle.
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