Maui candlelight ceremony marks 73 years since start of Korean War

Dozens of people attended a weekend candlelight ceremony organized by the Korean War Veterans Association Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Chapter 282. The event, held Sunday, marked 73 years since the start of the Korean War.

“Every year on June 25, we pause to remember all those who served in the Korean War. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. It was a war against the forces of international communism itself,” according to an event program.

The Korean War started on June 25, 1950, when 75,000 North Korean Soldiers crossed the 38th Parallel, invading South Korea. Ultimately 21 nations would come to South Korea’s defense.

The Maui candlelight ceremony is held each year, which acknowledges Korean War Veteran units that served between 1950 and 1953. It also acknowledges those who have passed with a tolling of a bell in their honor. The keynote speaker of Sunday’s event was Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke.