Daegu Regional Office of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Selects 'Go Nayae Colonel Memorial' as July Memorial Facility

The Daegu Regional Office of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (Director Kim Jongsul) has selected the 'Go Nayae Colonel Memorial,' located in Beomeo-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu, as the Memorial Facility of July 2024.

Go Nayae Colonel Memorial.

Colonel M.K. Unni Nayar served as the Indian representative of the United Nations Commission on Korea (UNCI) during the Korean War. He was killed in action on August 12, 1950, when a landmine exploded while he was inspecting the front lines near Waegwan in Chilgok County.

The following day, he was cremated and interred at Juilgol in Daegu. To honor his sacrifice, the memorial was erected on December 7 of the same year.

The UNCI succeeded the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea in 1948 and was a UN-affiliated organization that engaged in political and economic activities to address the issues of the divided Korean Peninsula. In particular, following the resolution of the 4th United Nations General Assembly in 1949, it monitored and reported on military threats around the 38th parallel, providing crucial information that contributed to the UN's decision to intervene in the Korean War.

Colonel Nayar, who was killed in action leaving behind his wife and two-year-old daughter, was laid to rest in Daegu alongside his wife more than 60 years after his death, in accordance with her last wishes. Mrs. Vimala Nayar passed away in 2011, leaving a will expressing her desire to be buried next to her husband, and her remains were interred beside the colonel's memorial on August 24, 2012.

In 2003, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs designated the memorial as a national memorial facility in recognition of Colonel Nayar's contributions. In addition, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Korean War, Colonel Nayar's only daughter, Mrs. Pavashi Mohan, was invited to Daegu Samsung Lions Park on June 6 of this year for a ceremonial first pitch, as well as a wreath-laying and remembrance event.

A representative from the Daegu Regional Office of Patriots and Veterans Affairs stated, "We hope that the noble spirit of sacrifice shown by Colonel Nayar, who gave his life in a distant land for the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea, will become widely known," adding, "We will continue to actively highlight international heroes of national defense in the global community."