In May 2020, Gloucester received a surprise gift from Paju in South Korea: 1,000 sets of personal protective equipment, or PPE. This is is the latest landmark in a relationship forged between Gloucester and Paju that dates back to the 1950-1953 Korean War. In a video message to Gloucester, Paju Mayor Choi Jong-whan spoke about their gratitude to the young soldiers of a battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment who came to defend the beleaguered city.
Sung Soo Kim, a Leicester Friend, has expanded an account written for his meeting’s newsletter
Britain’s famous dockside, the name is’Pajugil’
Gloucester, a sister city in Paju, Gyeonggi-do… I felt while walking there
At the Gloucester Pier
In 2001, with my parents and my family, I visited a memorial facility for the British Army in Seolmari, Jeokseong-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. There was the Gloucester Valley Battle Monument, a memorial facility built by the Korean government to commemorate the souls of British soldiers who died in the Battle of Seolmari during the Korean War.
In the wake of the Chinese offensive that lasted from April 22 to 25, 1951, the British Army Gloucester Battalion, with only 652 troops, stopped the onslaught of 42,000 Chinese troops for four days. Thanks to the British troops gaining time, the UN forces were able to dampen the momentum of the Chinese offensive, and eventually the UN forces withdrew to the north of Seoul to prepare a defensive operation against the Chinese forces.
This battle was responsible for the highest casualties to British troops since World War II. For the merit of this battle, British troops earned the title ‘The Glorious Gloucester’. Only 67 returned alive, including prisoners of war.
In 2001, when I left here, my family bowed their heads and silently thought about the sacrifices of young British soldiers during the Korean War.
And after that, 20 years passed like a frenzy. My English wife and I had forgotten to visit the British Army Gloucester War Facility in Paju with our children.
In front of Gloucester Cathedral
Last October, my wife and I visited the city of Gloucester in southwest England for the first time in 30 years in England. Here, we visited Gloucester Cathedral, which has a thousand-year history, and had a lot of ‘Road Talks’ with some of the seniors we met by chance on the road.
Gloucester Cathedral was built in the 11th century, and it was the first time I knew it was the famous place where the movie Harry Potter was filmed. We walked silently inside the dark medieval cathedral. The moment the intense sunlight suddenly hit my eyes through the bright and beautifully decorated clear glass windows of the cathedral, I felt as if the whole world had stopped for a moment.
At that moment, I felt a strong sense of unity with the Holy Cathedral, and at the same time, I felt myself too worldly. However, the unity between the divine and the humanity made me feel like a trance.
While standing in the aisle of the cathedral, I suddenly read “The past never goes away” by American novelist William Faulkner (1897-1962) and “History is with us and among us” by Russian writer Yuri Trypnov (1925-1981). Came to mind. And there came a strange feeling that I was strongly connected to Gloucester’s past history. Gloucester City, UK, sister city with Paju City in Korea
Gloucester Paju-gil in front of the nameplate
While walking along the shores of Gloucester, I stumbled upon a plaque stating that Gloucester City is a sister city with Paju City, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, so the road to this pier is named ‘Paju-gil’. I was very happy. There is a proverb that other hometowns are glad to see the crow in their hometown.
The moment I saw this plaque, I was reminded of the British Army Gloucester War Memorial Facility in Seolmari, Jeokseong-myeon, Paju City, where I once visited with my parents and family 20 years ago. And the past 20 years passed in my head like a kaleidoscope, and my heart pounded with joy.
It was the first time I knew on this day that the Gloucester unit of the British Army was a unit from the city of Gloucester during the Korean War. In 2014, Paju City became a sister city with Gloucester City. And in 2016, two years later, Paju City named the Gamaksan floating bridge as ‘Gloucester Hero’s Bridge’, and Gloucester City named the famous dockside here as ‘Pajugil’. In front of’Paju-gil’, I felt a strong sense of solidarity and unity between Korea and England and between Eastern and Western cultures and races.
Downtown Gloucester, which is quiet due to Corona 19
After that, my wife and I met British elders from all over the city while walking in the middle of Gloucester, a quiet and secluded city due to Corona 19 and had a long ‘road counseling’ without knowing that time was passing again. We were all first-timers, but like old friends, we had a pleasant and happy conversation. The topic of conversation was probably about Corona 19, Gloucester’s history, the world today, and Donald Trump’s bizarre words and actions.
One grandmother said, “A human face becomes similar to the food he eats and hearing that, my wife slipped the orange chocolate she had eaten into her handbag without the grandmother watching. When the grandmother didn’t see the cheeseburger I had, I hid it in my pocket.
After a pleasant conversation, we waved and reluctantly broke up saying “Goodbye”. Now the city of Gloucester was slowly falling twilight. When I saw the back of my grandmother walking back home on a slow walk, leaving the darkness behind, she looked so lonely. Because of the long self-isolation and containment life caused by Corona 19, the elderly seem to feel a lot of loneliness, so we broke up and walked with our wife to the dorm. I cannot live alone.
As every cloud has a silver lining, looking at the bigger picture about COVID19 and lockdown, it seems that the several months of reduced human activity have been wonderful for the environment. Dolphins were found in the canals of Venice and species that we had thought were extinct have begun showing up again. Thus, COVID19 has shown us a glimpse into the potential reversal of climate change that can occur if the world were to fully commit to renewable energy. We human beings, animal beings and universe are all connected inseparably!