World · East Asia & Pacific · 3 hrs ago
Two veterans reunite 72 years after serving together in Korea
In Seoul, two 95-year-old veterans reunited after serving together in Korea in 1954.
US officer Francis Sweat and South Korean officer Kim Joo-chan were both in their 20s and led honor guards at Panmunjom.
Their guards took part in Operation Glory, a 1954 exchange of Korean War dead after the 1953 armistice.
Over six weeks, they received about 4,000 sets of remains returned from the North; around 1,800 were believed to be US troops, with the rest thought to be South Korean or other forces.
The remains were sent for identification, but some fallen soldiers remain unidentified or unreturned, leaving families without answers.
Sweat said he was glad to see South Korea’s prosperity and hopes future generations continue their friendship.
Two 95-year-old former officers who served together in Korea reunited in Seoul after 35 years apart.
Francis Sweat, a US officer, and Kim Joo-chan, a South Korean officer, first met as honor guard battalion commanders.
In 1954, they took part in Operation Glory, which received and repatriated about 4,000 Korean War dead at Panmunjom.
Sweat visited Korea with his family to see Kim again and said he was glad to see the country prosper.
- Who
- Francis Sweat, a former US officer, and Kim Joo-chan, a former South Korean officer.
- What
- The two veterans reunited after 35 years apart. They had served together in the honor guard during Operation Glory.
- When
- October 2026. The article says they met on October 20.
- Where
- Seoul, South Korea, at the War Memorial of Korea.
- Why
- Sweat brought his family to Korea to see Kim again.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The armistice was signed, and the sides agreed to exchange the remains of war dead.
Operation Glory took place at Panmunjom, where the joint honor guard received about 4,000 sets of remains over six weeks.
Kim visited Sweat at a US base in Yanggu, continuing their friendship.
Sweat and Kim reunited at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul after 35 years apart.
- Veterans
- Francis Sweat and Kim Joo-chan
- Age at reunion
- 95
- Operation Glory
- September–October 1954
- Remains received
- About 4,000
- US remains
- 1,800
- Previous reunion
- 35 years earlier
1 source
What people are saying
I am glad to see Korea prosper. People look happy.
I felt respect for the sacrifice each time one passed, because it was like a hero returning home.
For some families, it remains something that has not been resolved.
At that time, the South Korean military had no honor guard, so about 30 people were selected, two from each front-line division, based on their health and height of at least 165 centimeters.