Italian Medical Unit Korean War Memorial이탈리아 의무부대 6·25전쟁 참전기념비

About

During the Korean War, Italy was not a UN member, but in response to an appeal for help from the International Red Cross, it dispatched a 67-member team to Korea on October 16, 1951: 6 medical officers, 2 administrators, 1 pharmacist, 1 chaplain, 6 nurses, 6 non-commissioned officers, and 45 enlisted soldiers. The medical unit was stationed at Seoul Usin Elementary School. It treated not only military casualties but also civilians, caring for some 230,000 soldiers and Korean citizens until January 30, 1955. The unit worked especially hard to eradicate parasites among civilians, and when a train accident occurred in Yeongdeungpo on September 17, 1952, its swift response helped keep the loss of life to a minimum. On June 2, 1989, Italian Ambassador to Korea Graziella Simbolotti installed a memorial stone on a wall of the school building at Seoul Usin Elementary School, the unit's former base, to honor its noble service. When the building was demolished in late July 1999, the memorial was relocated to its current site with support from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and re-erected on August 10, 1999.