This year marks the 75th anniversary of Australian service in the Korean War.
On 25 June 2025, we will hold a National Commemorative Service at the Australian National Korean War Memorial in Canberra to mark the 75th anniversary of Australian service in the Korean War and post-armistice period.
All veterans, veteran families and members of the public are invited to attend. You can register your attendance (at no cost) via the online registration system. A pre-service program will start at 10:00am. Attendees are asked to arrive early and be seated by 9:45am.
DVA has ensured there is a lot of seating capacity available at the service. Limited accessible seating will be available for those with health or accessibility requirements. If you require accessible seating, please ensure you say so when registering, and describe your accessibility requirements.
The service will also be broadcast nationally by the ABC and streamed online on iView.
This anniversary is an opportunity to honour and remember the service of all Australians who served in the Korean War, their sacrifice, and the families who supported them.
In June 1950, a mere 5 years after the Second World War ended, Australians again found themselves at war – our nation became one of the first to be involved in the Korean War.
The Korean War has been largely overshadowed by the global devastation of the Second World War and the Vietnam War – the latter being one of the longest conflicts of the 20th Century. Nevertheless, the role of Australian service personnel during the Korean War was significant and deserves national recognition.
More than 18,000 Australians served throughout the Korean War and the post-armistice ceasefire monitoring. During the war, 340 Australians lost their lives, more than 1,200 were wounded, and 30 were taken prisoner. Of those who lost their lives, 42 have no known grave.
Another 16 Australians died serving in South Korea with the ceasefire monitoring force in 1953–57, and 11 died serving in Japan with base units of British Commonwealth Forces Korea.
For more information visit 75th anniversary of Australian service in the Korean War.
