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An image of German medical support staff during the Korean War. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to include Germany on its list of countries that provided medical aid during the Korean War, it announced on June 22.

The inclusion increases the number of countries recognized for medical aid during the war from five to six. The ministry plans to reflect the change in its Defense White Paper and other official documents, as well as future remembrances.

An image of German medical support staff during the Korean War. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

In May 1953, Germany notified the UN headquarters of its intent to dispatch a field hospital to support UN troops. A roughly 80-member medical support team was sent to Busan the following year. Between May 1954 and Mar. 1959, the team’s members operated as the West German Red Cross Hospital: treating around 300,000 patients, assisting with over 6,000 births, and helping train medical staff.

But they were not included on the list of countries providing medical aid because their activities had all taken place after the armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953.

An image of German medical support staff during the Korean War. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

According to the ministry, the reassessment of Germany as a country providing medical support during the Korean War was based on the fact that its expression of willingness to provide support came while the war was taking place; its members operated as a healthcare organization under the UN forces; its duties involved supporting UN troops; and existing standards for recognizing countries providing material support also included post-armistice activities.

Earlier this year, the ministry commissioned its Institute for Military History to carry out research toward restoring and reassessing the history of German medical support during the Korean War. It also gathered related opinions at a May seminar on “re-examining German medical support activities during the Korean War.”

An image of German medical support staff during the Korean War. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

In the future, the ministry plans to include Germany as one of the countries listed as providing medical support during the Korean War in its 2018 Defense White Paper, military histories and other archival materials, and memorial facilities and exhibits, while cooperating with related ministries and agencies. The five countries previously recognized for providing medical aid are Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, and India.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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