(LEAD) Memorial wall set up for fallen elite Ethiopian troops fighting in Korean War

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SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- A memorial wall has been set up in Ethiopia to honor ...

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SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- A memorial wall has been set up in Ethiopia to honor fallen members of an elite Ethiopian unit that won all of the 253 battles it engaged in during the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul's veterans ministry said Wednesday.

An unveiling ceremony was held Wednesday (local time) at a cathedral in Addis Ababa for the memorial wall displaying the names of 122 Ethiopian troops who served under the Kagnew Battalion and died during the war, according to the ministry.

Ethiopia is the only African nation that deployed ground troops to fight for South Korea during the three-year conflict.

The Kagnew Battalion, an elite force comprising some 3,500 Ethiopian Royal Guards, won all 253 battles it engaged in, with some 122 of the soldiers losing their lives in the process.

To honor their feat, the veterans ministry and HD Construction Equipment Co. have set up the memorial monument under their agreement in May to establish such facilities for Korean War veterans who fought alongside U.N. forces.

"Their footsteps were Ethiopia's pride, and their sacrifice became the freedom of the Republic of Korea," according to the message engraved at the memorial wall written in Korean, English and Amharic, the official language used by Ethiopians. "May they rest in eternal peace within the embrace of this Trinity Cathedral."

The memorial wall, which was fully funded by HD Construction Equipment, depicts Ethiopian forces marching with a lion, with the name tags of all 122 veterans displayed on the sides.

Meanwhile, the remains of the fallen soldiers were initially buried in the basement of the cathedral, but they were moved to near where the former emperor of Ethiopia lies, with consensus from the bereaved family members, according to the ministry.

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