In South Korea, Plans for 50th Anniversary of Start of Korean War Have Changed Dramatically
GENE RANDALL, CNN ANCHOR: Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the start of Korean War. In South Korea, following the recent historic North-South summit, plans for the commemoration have changed dramatically. CNN's Seoul bureau chief Sohn Jie-Ae has our report.</s>SOHN JIE-AE, CNN SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Workers put the final touches on special exhibits at the war memorial, which highlights the division that still remains on the Korean peninsula. Outside, a marching band is fine-tuning its 50th anniversary performance. But the band and the exhibit will get far less attention than originally planned. When South and North Korean leaders hugged and shook hands for the first time less than two weeks before the Korean War Anniversary, the lavish preparations for the commemoration came to a screeching halt. The Seoul government said the ceremonies would be drastically scaled back in light of the new mood of peace and cooperation on the Korean peninsula. A grand parade down the street of central Seoul was canceled. The government also scrapped plans to mobilize hundreds of troops and veterans for a re-enactment of the amphibious landing at Inchon, which changed the course of the Korean War. Large banners draping Seoul buildings continue to eschew the success of a South-North summit, with no mention of the war.</s>JIE-AE (on camera): Few deny that the Korean War still remains a crucial turning point in the modern history of the Korean peninsula, but the recent summit between South and North Korea may have done more than anything else to change how South Koreans view the events that happened 50 years ago. (voice-over): For many, it's not that easy to forget what is already called the "Forgotten War."</s>PARK HAN-SU, KOREAN WAR VETERAN (through translator): I don't believe the war is really over. For me, the war lives on in my head as if it were yesterday.</s>JIE-AE: Park heads the veterans group from a small town that lost 1,500 young men in the three-year conflict. Retired General Paik Sun-Yup represented the South in talks that halted the Korean War.</s>GEN. PAIK SUN-YUP, RET. KOREAN ARMY (through translator): If we had not been strong enough to fight back the North, and if we had not been vigilant in maintaining our defense during the past 50 years, then the recent events on the Korean peninsula could not have happened.</s>JIE-AE: And in that sense, he says, paying tribute to those who sacrificed themselves during the Korean War has become even more meaningful, however big or small the ceremonies may be. Sohn Jie-Ae, CNN, Seoul.