Greece – Athens

Memorial Site

The Hellenic Republic participated in the Korean War from November 1950 to December 1954. Greeks distinguished themselves as the fifth largest contributor of armed forces among the 16 U.N. Forces in Korea. Greece sent one infantry battalion and one transport aircraft formation.

In total, Greece deployed 4,992 soldiers and suffered 738 casualties. 12,000 additional Greeks served following the armistice on July 27, 1953. According to the statistics provided by the South Korean government, there were 192 killed in action, 543 wounded in action and 3 prisoners of war.

The Korean War Memorial in Athens is elegant and classic with simple Doric columns. The august marble structures on each side are engraved with names of the fallen. In the ground before the main monument is a jug containing dirt from Korea where the dead are buried.