About 32 Korean War veterans in Southwest China's Sichuan Province today left the provincial capital Chengdu for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Korean War. Chinese People's Volunteer Army began to resist US aggression and aid Korea on October 25 half a century ago.

The veterans will leave Beijing for Dandong, a city on the border of China and the DPRK, then cross the Yalu River to reach Pyongyang. Fifty years ago, Chinese People's Volunteer Army marched across the Yalu River to enter Korea to fight against the US aggression and aid the DPRK.

The veterans are expected to visit former battlefields and ponder on the past and remember the soldiers died in the Korean War. They will also pay a visit to Pyongyang. Many of the veterans came from remote area in Sichuan Province.

"I will never forget the days in Korean War with my companions. I've brought a pack of soil of my hometown and hope to scatter it on the land where the soldiers bled and died," said veteran Mao Junming.

The visit is arranged by Sichuan Foreign Affairs Department. More veterans will be arranged to visit the DPRK later.

(Xinhua 2000/09/11)