The Hague, Netherlands - From September 14 to 16, UPF-Netherlands hosted a visit by the Children's Folk Ballet of Korea, the Little Angels, who are making a worldwide tour to thank the 16 countries who sent soldiers to defend the Republic of Korea when it was invaded by North Korea 60 years ago.
In addition to performing at the Lucent Danstheatre in The Hague on September 15, the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Incheon, which dramatically reversed the course of the war, the Little Angels visited the grave of Korean peace activist Yi Jun and the Yi Jun Peace Museum created in his honor.
The next day they visited and sang at the Royal Military Care Home, Het Koninklijk Tehuis voor Oud-Militairen - Bronbeek, and laid a wreath at the Dutch UN forces Korean War memorial at the Oranje Kazerne (Barracks) in Schaarsbergen before leaving for Luxembourg.
Korean War veterans were moved to tears by the performance, overwhelmed by the contrast between their memory of orphaned children and these new little angels. One man in the audience said he thought about Korea every day.
Former Ambassador and former European Member of Parliament Dr. Jan Willem Bertens was so impressed by the performance that he said he would talk about the Little Angels as a "symbol of peace" at a conference he would soon be attending in The Hague.
Media coverage:
- TheHagueonLine report [in English]
- The HagueonLine video
- Ministry of Defence website [in Dutch]