Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Permanent Mission to the International Maritime Organization

The 5th contingent of Task Force Danbi on June 28 (local time) was honored to receive a UN medal, the highest honor given to UN peacekeeping forces, for its successful peacekeeping operation. Task Force Danbi is the South Korean military mission to Haiti for earthquake relief in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake.

The United Nations Medal is an international decoration which is presented by the United Nations to the various militaries of the world for participation for at least 90 days in joint international military operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, and disaster relief.

Hosted by Mariano Fernández (of Chile), the UN Special Representative for Haiti, the ceremony involved more than 300 personnel including Maj. Gen. Goulart and other military officials. Commander Goulart personally draped the Danbi servicemen with medals one by one to warmheartedly encourage them.

Captain Heo Seung-gu, who extended his stay in Haiti in August last year, had an honor to receive the medal twice. “I’m so proud of myself because I even receive it twice even though it’s difficult for others to get just one,” he said. “I’ll do my best never to drop my pride of a military diplomat representing my country.”

The Danbi contingent shared the Medal with a Sri Lankan UN peacekeeping force. The Sri Lankan unit had supported the South Korean one in its security operations while the latter was on a reconstruction or restoration mission. This will be a good opportunity for the two military forces to pave the way to further enhance their mutual understanding and goodwill.