Workshop Report: “The Korean War and Belgium”

On 19 September 2025, CegeSoma organized a workshop entitled “The Korean War and Belgium”, marking the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Although often referred to as a "forgotten war", the conflict had lasting implications for Cold War geopolitics—and for Belgium, which contributed troops and diplomatic efforts during the hostilities. The workshop focused on exploring archival sources and recent historiographical approaches to the Belgian dimensions of the Korean War.

Held at CegeSoma’s conference room, the event brought together historians and researchers from several Belgian academic institutions, including the Royal Military Academy (KMS), the State Archives (Rijksarchief/Archives de l'État), KU Leuven, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and the War Heritage Institute (WHI).

Participants, among whom one Belgian veteran of the Korean War, were welcomed to the conference room for an afternoon of in-depth historical presentations and discussions. The opening presentation provided a historiographical overview of how the Korean War has been studied within Belgian academia. Michael Auwers highlighted the limited but growing interest in this topic, focusing on key works that have shaped the field and exploring avenues for further research. Widukind De Ridder revisited the pivotal summer of 1950, when Belgium decided to participate in the Korean conflict. He examined the social-economic and political outlook of Belgian society in the years before the war, and elaborated on Belgian communist and anticommunist reactions during that Summer.

The next presentation took the audience from Belgium to East Asia, as Jan Van der Fraenen offered a detailed account of the Belgian(-Luxembourg) battalion’s activities in Korea, discussing military operations, troop morale, and the symbolic importance of Belgian involvement. The final presentation before the coffee break explored the largely unknown episode of Belgian Carmelite nuns abducted during the war. Adrien Carbonnet shed light on the Belgian diplomatic response and the role of Belgian envoys in Tokyo.

The second half of the workshop took off with a presentation by Jan Naert, who introduced key archival sources that support a social historical approach to Belgian involvement in Korea. He focused on military justice archives and personnel records, underlining their potential for future research. The first results of this research were presented by Nina Nijs, who discussed criminal offenses committed by Belgian soldiers and their impact on the local Korean population. Her analysis provided an innovative and nuanced look at military discipline and intercultural interactions during the war.

Johan Massart then examined how Belgian newspapers reported on soldiers killed in Korea, raising questions about national memory and the media’s role in shaping public perception. The final presentation, by  Kevin Gony and Ben Schraverus, reflected on how the Korean War has been – and will be – represented and at the Royal Army Museum, drawing attention to curatorial choices and the evolution of public history displays. The day concluded with a well-earned reception, allowing participants to exchange ideas and discuss future research collaborations.

The workshop offered a rich and multifaceted exploration of Belgium’s role in the Korean War, with a strong emphasis on archival research and underexplored narratives. Presentations addressed both military and civilian perspectives, including the media, diplomacy, religious figures, and the local Korean population. CegeSoma’s initiative contributes to reviving scholarly and public interest in a conflict that remains overshadowed in Belgian collective memory.