KBS World Radio Korea Panorama 70 Years'

After 247 miners first arrived in Germany in 1963, a total of 8,395 South Korean miners were sent to the country by 1977. Korean nurses were permitted to work in Germany starting in 1965, and by 1976, 10,371 nurses had found work there. Korean miners labored at the grueling depth of 1,000 meters, while nurses took on the toughest roles at the hospitals, such as washing the deceased. Their salaries were sent back home to pay for the families’ living and education expenses, and also served as a large contribution to the country’s economy that was still reeling from post-war capital deficiency.

The Park Chung-hee government dispatched troops to the Vietnam War at the request of the governments of the U.S. and Vietnam. South Korea’s non-combat troops were sent to the war-torn country in 1964, followed by the dispatch of about 20,000 fighting forces in 1965. Through its involvement in the war, South Korea made great gains on the economic, security, and diplomatic fronts, including over a billion dollars in foreign currency through the soldiers’ salary, and construction and service exports among others. However, the loss of countless young lives and the exposure to defoliants resulted in enormous irreversible losses.