한 캐나다인이 한국 전쟁 참전 용사들을 기리기 위해 한국에서 625km를 걷다

[홀랜]

A semi-retired Canadian with no direct connection to the Korean War, Guy Black has turned honoring its veterans into a personal journey

Guy Black (Courtesy of Black)

By the time Guy Black reached Busan in May, exhaustion had long settled into his knees and feet.

Every kilometer seemed slower than the last. Days of walking 25 to 30 kilometers at a time had reshaped not only his body, but also his state of mind.

Still, the 61-year-old Canadian kept moving, letting his legs carry him forward. Because for Black, this was never simply a long walk, but a tribute to the victims of the 1950-53 Korean War.

On May 22, Black completed a 625-kilometer journey across South Korea to honor the fallen soliders, followed by a ceremony the next day at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, alongside Canada's ambassador to South Korea.

“Walking is what all soldiers do, and especially Korean War veterans. They walked across Korea and up every hill. Walking 625 kilometers is connected to the Korean War, and I feel it is an honorable and respectful way to pay tribute to them,” Black said in an interview with The Korea Herald on May 19.

His route mapped more than the distance. It followed memory, stretching from Gapyeong, where Canadian forces fought one of the Korean War’s defining battles, to the resting place of many who never made their journey home. Shortly after the war broke out, Canada sent troops to South Korea as part of the United Nations forces. Around 26,000 Canadians served in the war, while more than 500 lost their lives.

On the surface, there is little in Black’s background to suggest he would one day undertake a grueling personal tribute to Korean War veterans.

Black, who lives in British Columbia, is semi-retired. A former Canadian Army cadet, he spent much of his career in the insurance industry before later teaching writing to Korean students at a local English academy.

But over the decades, he says, the Korean War slowly grew into something deeply personal.

His connection began with friendship. Nearly 25 years ago, Black formed close friendships with two Canadian Korean War veterans. He then met his wife, who is Korean, 10 years ago, further deepening his ties to the country and the war fought half a world away.

“The more I learned about the war and the people who died, the more deeply it affected me,” Black said.

One story particularly stayed with him.

Guy Black poses in front of a memorial dedicated to student soldiers who fought in the Korean War at Seongju Middle School in North Gyeongsang Province. (Guy Black)

“Elizabeth, a close friend of mine, lost her older brother during the war on May 30, 1951. Her grief taught me the real meaning of war: death and losing a loved brother,” he said.

“The Korean War is truly the forgotten war, and its veterans are forgotten, but it was a war with a clear and noble cause. The more I read about the war and extensive research about those who died touched me deeply,” he added.

What began as an emotional connection eventually became a journey in motion.

The 625-kilometer trek was not merely a physical challenge, but the culmination of a bond decades in the making.

It began in 2021 when Black walked 330 kilometers between Korean War memorials in Canada. Two years later, he continued on from another memorial to Vancouver International Airport, then flew to Korea and walked on to Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province.

Among his journeys, the latest one carried particular meaning.

“I walked from the place where the Battle of Kapyong took place to where the battle casualties are buried. I started walking on April 26 and finished on May 22,” Black explained, the battle taking its name from an older spelling of Gapyeong.

At the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951, Canadian troops fought as part of British Commonwealth forces to defend the Kapyong Valley against Chinese and North Korean troops. Despite being heavily outnumbered, they helped defend the valley and prevented enemy forces from advancing toward Seoul.

The distance carried its own symbolism: 625 kilometers, echoing June 25, the day the Korean War broke out. And Black believes walking carries a special power when it comes to honoring soldiers.

“Walking is what all soldiers do, and especially Korean War veterans. They walked across Korea and up every hill," Black said.

Each day followed a punishing rhythm. Black and his guide from the United Nations Korean War Allies Association typically left their hotel around 9:30 a.m., with walking beginning at 10 a.m. and lasting five to seven hours, often without rest breaks.

“I am living every moment exhausted. My left knee is actually torn, but I was willing to push myself every day to finish my journey,” he said.

A Canadian Korean War veteran, William J. Chrysler (right), helps a wounded comrade. (Canadian Embassy)

Walking alone for long stretches, Black avoided music and rarely checked his phone. Instead, he immersed himself in his surroundings, noticing the scent of the countryside, the warmth of sunlight and the ground beneath his feet as he passed through quiet villages, farms, traditional homes and ancient burial mounds rarely seen by tourists.

“I see things up close,” he said. “It is very personal and truly life-changing for me.”

The contrast between past and present, he added, was impossible to ignore.

Crossing modern bridges, highways and tunnels, Black often imagined what Korea looked like in the early 1950s, when much of the country lay in ruins amid war.

“I know Korea was mostly destroyed,” he said. “Almost the entire country was fought over.”

Yet amid that devastation, one thing stood out to him most. “Nothing could survive. But the people did.”

Those reflections often stirred deep emotion, especially at war memorials and during unexpected encounters along the route.

One particularly moving moment came in Daegu, where a young girl whose grandfather had served in the Korean War was unable to attend a ceremony and later cried after missing the chance to meet Black. Her mother later gave him a small handmade gift the girl had prepared, which he attached to the waist pouch he carries each day.

“That touched me deeply,” he recalled.

Ahead of June 25, Black hopes people remember not only the history of war, but the sacrifices it demanded, from soldiers and from the families they left behind, stressing that veterans deserve more than momentary recognition.

“They restored peace to South Korea, and they should be remembered and thanked, not ignored and forgotten,” Black said.

“The responsibility I have is to not forget the soldiers who lost their lives and to thank the veterans who survived. I think everyone owes them the same thing, especially the people of South Korea,” he added.

junheee@heraldcorp.com