During theKorean War, six countries—Sweden,India,Denmark,Norway,Italy, andWest Germany—provided medical support toSouth Korea and theUnited Nations Forces. They provided a range of medical services, including the provision of mobile field hospitals; medical professionals, including doctors and nurses; hospital beds; equipment; and ambulances.[1] Some of these personnel were killed during the conflict, though they were not combatants againstNorth Korea and thePeople's Republic of China.
The Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital was established by the Swedish mission sent to Korea to deal with the humanitarian crisis. Following the North Korean invasion, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution asking all UN member states to support South Korea. The Swedish government responded on 14 July 1950, by authorizing the dispatch of a 200-bed mobile field hospital.[citation needed] Shortly before his death,King Gustaf V announced that the Swedish state would cover the hospital's expenses.[2] The Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital personnel arrived in Korea on 23 September 1950, and began medical support on 25 September 1950.[citation needed] Deciding that a stationary 400-bed Evacuation Hospital would be more valuable than the smaller but more mobilefield hospital, which opened at the beginning of October, the Swedish hospital was converted and moved to the compound of theCommercial Middle School inPusan, where it remained until 1958.[citation needed]The hospital was expanded to 600 beds by the end of the war, staffed by 174 Swedish doctors and nurses at any one time, all belonging to theSwedish Red Cross.[citation needed] Among its patients was theROK Army MajorPark Chung-in [ko].[3]
After theceasefire in July 1953, the institute changed its name to 'Swedish Hospital in Pusan'. The hospital stayed comparatively unchanged as a civilian hospital until it was closed in March 1957. The closing ceremony was held on 20 March 1957, and personnel left soon afterwards.[4][5][6] A small advisory group from Sweden stayed in Korea to advise on medical practices until autumn 1958. Over the duration of the conflict, 1,124 Swedish men and women served in the Swedish hospital, and 19,100 United Nations and 2,400 Korean personnel were treated by Swedish doctors.[citation needed] At the closing ceremony, the hospital received theRepublic of Korea Presidential Citation. Some personnel received the KoreanOrder of Military Merit.[7]
Because of Sweden's reputation for neutrality during the major 20th century conflicts (First World,Second World andKorean Wars), Sweden was included as one of the four founding members of theNeutral Nations Supervisory Commission. Several Swedish military personnel served in Korea enforcing thePanmunjom armistice. Sweden was the first Western European country to establish diplomatic relations and an embassy in North Korea.[8]
After the outbreak of theKorean War on 25 June 1950, India decided to provide amedical unit. The 60th Parachute Field Ambulance (60th PFA), commanded by Lieutenant ColonelA. G. Rangaraj, arrived on 20 November 1950 and began to operate on 6 December 1950 at thePyongyang front. The main unit was attached to theBritish 27th Infantry Brigade and the1st Commonwealth Division and provided medical support at the front, while the detachment served in the hospital atDaegu, providing services to theUN Forces,South Korean Army, and Korean civilians.[9] Around 20,000 soldiers and civilians were treated from November 1950 to February 1954.[10][11][12]
AfterOperation Tomahawk on 21 March 1951, for which the 60th PFA was attached to the187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, two members of the unit were awarded with theMaha Vir Chakras, while the 60th PFA was awarded the President's Trophy on 10 March 1955.
Indian Army officer—Colonel M. K..Unni Nayar, part of theUnited Nations Korea Committee, died on 12 August 1950 when he was killed in a mine accident.[13][14][15] He was buried inDaegu, and his wife was interred in the same grave in 2012.[16] A memorial to him inSuseong District, Daegu was unveiled on 7 December 1950.[17][18]
Denmark supplied theMS Jutlandia under theDanish Red Cross for the duration of the war.[citation needed]
Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH) was the Norwegianfield hospital participating in theKorean War from 1951 to 1954 underUnited Nations Command. On 29 December 1950, theNorwegian Red Cross received a request to establish a hospital in Korea. During the first days of 1951 a plan was drafted for a field hospital based on the AmericanMobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) with 60 beds and a staff of 83. On 2 March theNorwegian Parliament approved the plan. The first group of personnel left Norway on 16 May, and was followed by the second group on 23 May. The route fromStavanger toTokyo ran viaMunich,Nice,Naples,Beirut,Cairo,Karachi,Calcutta,Bangkok andHong Kong. From Tokyo the personnel were transported to Seoul by military transport aircraft. They arrived in South Korea on 22 June and NORMASH was first established atUijongbu, approximately 12 miles north of Seoul, on 19 July.
The hospital consisted of bothNissen huts and tents and had a surgery with four operating tables. The hospital was later moved toTongduchon about 40 miles north of Seoul, and was moved a third time to its final location a few miles further north. In total, NORMASH treated 90,000 patients, of which the largest groups were the U.S. (36%), South Korea (33%) and the various British and Commonwealth troops (27%). The unit also treated 172 North Korean and Chinese POWs. NORMASH performed on average eight surgeries per day. In the fall of 1951 it was decided to increase the personnel from 83 to 105, and on 26 October the decision was made to maintain the hospital as anarmy hospital for the duration of the UN operation in Korea.
With the signing of theArmistice Agreement on 27 July 1953, the hospital stopped receiving wounded soldiers, but continued to treat substantial number of Korean civilians. Though anarmistice was in effect, the stability in the region was questionable, and the hospital was kept at the ready in case of a breaking of theceasefire. In the fall of 1953 NORMASH was the only hospital for four divisions in the 1st Army Corps. The hospital was kept while awaiting the establishment of a Scandinavian training hospital in Seoul,[19] and it was not until 17 October 1954 that the hospital received orders to return to Norway. Four days later the last patient was released, and on 10 November all equipment was returned to the US Army.
In total 623 men and women served in NORMASH over seven contingents, two of which were after the Armistice. The hospital lost two personnel; driver Arne Christiansen was shot and killed in 1952, and laboratory technician Brit Reisæther was killed in a car accident in 1954. NORMASH twice received theUnited States Meritorious Unit Commendation and theRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (6 October 1952, 23 November 1953). All personnel also received theNorwegian Korea Medal, and were visited byMarilyn Monroe.[citation needed]
The 68th Italian Red Cross Hospital (L’OSPEDALE Croce Rossa Italiana N°68) was an Italian field hospital in the Korean War.[20] After the outbreak of war on 25 June 1950, Italy dispatched the medical unit to Korea to aid the humanitarian disaster, even though Italy was not a member of theUnited Nations until 1955.[21]
TheItalian Red Cross supported this hospital with personnel from the Military Corps (Corpo Militare della Croce Rossa Italiana) and the Volunteer Nurses Corps (Corpo delle Infermiere Volontarie della Croce Rossa Italiana). The hospital staff leftNapoli on 16 October, and arrived inBusan on 16 November; the hospital opened on 6 December at theUsin Elementary School facility inYeongdeungpo District,Seoul. On 30 December 1952, a suspectedcommunist arsonist lit a fire in the hospital, destroying it. A new hospital was built by 23 February 1953. On 30 December 1954, the hospital was transferred to the South Korean Government,[22] and three days later the hospital staff left for Italy.
The hospital twice received theRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation[23] On 2 June 1989, Graziella Simbolotti, ambassador of Italy to South Korea, installed a memorial at Usin School.[24]
On 7 April 1953,Chancellor of GermanyAdenauer visited the United States and met PresidentEisenhower, where he proposed that West Germany offer medical support. Two parties of medical personnel left Germany for Korea in January and February 1954.[25][26] The hospital opened on 17 May inBusan with 80 personnel[27][28] and closed nearly five years later on 14 March 1959, with a total of 200 Germans having treated about 2,400,000 civilians.[29][26]
PresidentMoon Jae-in visited Germany in July 2017 where he met the surviving staff member, Karl Hauser, and the others' descendants, acknowledging their contributions; Hauser was awarded theRepublic of Korea Presidential Citation.[30][31] The former staff of the hospital and their descendants visited South Korea in November 2017;[32] the South Korean Government acknowledged Germany's support in June 2018.[33] A memorial dedicated to their service, located inSeo District,Busan, was erected in 1997.[34]
On 20 September 1976, the Medical Support Corps Participation Monument was unveiled inYeongdo District,Busan, commemorating the medical support provided by Sweden, India, Denmark, Norway, and Italy.[35]
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