The Korean Embassy has informed us applications for the 2023 Revisit Korea program are now open (See attached application).
For those not aware, the Revisit Korea Program refers to a 5-night, 6-day program provided by the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) for Korean War veterans and their families. It covers most of the costs for two people to travel to Korea. Further details are included in the attachment.
There are two trips this year: 24-29 July 2023 and 8-13 November 2023. The big event for 2023 will be the July revisit that celebrates the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Military Armistice Agreement than ended the Korean War. The revisit will is open to 220 veterans, drawn from all of the UN Nations that supported Korea with military, naval, air force, or medical aid units during the Korean War. It is also open to veterans who served in the post-armistice period and to bereaved family members of those who fell in the war. Of the 220 allocations, 80 are split between the United States (30), the United Kingdom (28) and Canada (22).
With the emphasis, effort and budget focused on the armistice revisit and ceremonies in July, it is understandable that the November 'Turn Toward Busan' revisit in November is somewhat diminished in size from previous years. The November 8-13 revisit is limited to 30 veterans or caregivers, but the ceremony will be no less solemn and meaningful than in the past. Of the 30 allotments, 10 go to the US, 6 to the UK, 4 to Canada and 10 to veterans from a few of the other nations.
Details: For those interested in applying, please note the following details:
- When submitting your application, you may make a note of your preferred trip (July or November), but nothing is guaranteed.
- Please take care in completing the 'Attachment 5' section of the application. The more effort put into this section, the stronger the application
- If you do not currently have travel insurance, please feel free to leave that section of the application blank for now, and make a note that you will provide this information if you are chosen to participate.
- An application does not guarantee a spot on the trip. While we welcome all applications, there are very limited spots and not everybody can be accomodated. Priority is given to Korean War veterans, and those who have never been before. If you have done a Revisit Trip within the past 3 years, you are not eligible to apply. If you do not get a spot on a trip this year, you are welcome to apply again next year.
How to apply: Complete the attached application form (with information for both participants).
- In most cases, the forms should be filed with the defence attaches at the various Korean embassies that serve in those countries.
- For Canadians, the application forms should be sent by email only to: defenceaide@mofa.go.kr by February 28th along with scanned copies of the photo pages of both applicants' passports.
- As usual, all applicants must have passports with at least six months remaining validity, health insurance, and they must complete the Korea required K-ETA travel document.
- Please consult the application form, which is comprehensive and self-explanatory.
- Deal only with the ROK Embassy within your own nation, or the recognized veterans travel official or agency that is working with the ROK Embassy or with the MPVA in Korea.
Please send any questions or concerns to your embassy. Feel free to share this email and application with any Korean War veterans/family members that may have been missed.