The remains of Serge Archambeau, a French veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War, will be returned to South Korea this week for burial at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan. Archambeau had expressed during his lifetime that he wanted to be buried in Korea, which he described as his second homeland in a 2023 interview.
A ceremony marking the return of his remains is scheduled for Tuesday at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. Roger Quintard, secretary-general of a French Korean War veterans’ association and the executor of Archambeau’s wishes, is expected to bring the remains to South Korea. French and South Korean officials are due to attend the ceremony, which is being held during the 140th anniversary year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Archambeau served as a bazooka operator with the Third Company of the French Battalion from October 1951 to September 1952. He fought in the Iron Triangle and at T-Bone Hill near Cheorwon in Gangwon Province, where French forces defended positions against Chinese troops. He received French and military decorations for his service, including the French veteran’s medal.
His remains will be interred in Busan on Saturday at a ceremony organized by the French Embassy, with crew members of the French Navy frigate Vendémiaire expected to participate.
The cemetery holds 2,341 service members from 14 countries who fought alongside South Korea under the United Nations flag. Archambeau will be the 39th person whose remains were returned and buried there with assistance from South Korea’s veterans ministry. The French Battalion was attached to the U.S.