Participants in the "Turn Toward Busan" ceremony observe a minute of silence at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, November 11, in honor of U.N. troops who were killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. (Photo by Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)

A commemorative ceremony was held at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan on November 11 to honor the fallen soldiers who fought for the Republic of Korea under the U.N. flag in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Since its launch in 2007, the annual “Turn Toward Busan” ceremony, created by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA), takes place on November 11 at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in the southern port city.

This year, some 1,000 guests attended the event, including bereaved family members of war veterans, surviving veterans and diplomats from nations that participated in the war.

The ceremony began as war veterans walked down the “path of heroes,” a 10-meter-long photo exhibition venue erected to commemorate the fallen soldiers.

Then, a minute of silence was observed at 11 a.m., followed by a 21-gun salute fired in honor of the fallen troops as sirens wailed throughout the nation’s second-largest city. Sister Lee Hae-in recited a commemorative poem at the entrance of the Wall of Remembrance within the cemetery. The wall is engraved with the names of U.N. soldiers who were killed or went missing during the war.

The Black Eagles, the ROK Air Force's aerobatic team, uses smoke trails to form a Taegeuk, the symbol at the center of Korea's national flag. (Photo by Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)

The ceremony also featured a commemorative flyover by the ROK Air Force’s aerobatic flight team the Black Eagles.

“Today, a free and prosperous Republic of Korea stands on top of the sacrifices of veterans from states that answered the U.N.’s call,” MPVA Minister Park Min-shik said in a statement.

“The Republic of Korea will do its utmost to honor the heroes, enhance solidarity with the countries that participated in the war and pass down this great history of an alliance forged in blood to our future generations,” he added.

During the Korean War, 40,670 service members from 22 U.N. nations were killed with 104,280 wounded and 4,116 missing, according to the veterans ministry.

The cemetery in Busan – the only one officially recognized by the U.N. – is the resting place for some 2,300 fallen troops from 11 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Turkey.

Following the “Turn Toward Busan” ceremony, the remains of two British and four Colombian Korean War veterans, who died after the war, were buried in the cemetery at their own or their families’ request. The United Kingdom and Colombia were among the 22 countries that sent troops or provided medical aid to South Korea during the Korean War.

Luis Carlos Garcia Ardila, 89; Jose Gustavo Pascagaza Leon, 81; Jose Sergio Romero, 81; and Jorge Sanchez Tapia, 87, became the first Colombian veterans to be buried at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery. Two British veterans – Bryan Laurenson, 94, and Brian Wood, 88 – were interred on the same day.

Also on November 11, a statue of the late former U.S. Army Gen. Richard Whitcomb was erected at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery. Whitcomb, who served as the commander of a U.S. logistics support base in Busan during the Korean War, is known for helping rebuild the war-torn country and supporting civilians, especially war orphans.