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Concert held in memory of Czech-American chaplain in Korean War

BERLIN -- A music concert was held in a Czech city in memory of Emil Kapaun, a Czech-American priest and war hero who died in captivity during the 1950-53 Korean War, the South Korean Embassy in Prague said Tuesday.

South Korean Ambassador to the Czech Republic Moon Seung-hyun took part in the concert organized by the municipal government and archdiocese in the eastern city of Olomouc.

Emil Kapaun, a Czech-American war hero who died in captivity during the 1950-53 Korean War (South Korean Embassy in Prague)
Emil Kapaun, a Czech-American war hero who died in captivity during the 1950-53 Korean War (South Korean Embassy in Prague)

Born in a small hamlet in Kansas, Emil Kapaun served as a US military chaplain during the war.

In August 1950, Kapaun was awarded the Bronze Star, one of the highest combat decorations in the US military, for rescuing wounded soldiers amidst intense enemy fire.

After refusing to leave fellow wounded soldiers, he was captured by Chinese soldiers and died of malnutrition and pneumonia at a North Korean prisoner-of-war camp in May 1951.

In 2013, US President Barack Obama decorated Kapaun with a posthumous Medal of Honor, the highest US military award, for his heroism in the three-year conflict. In 1993, Kapaun was declared a "servant of God" by the Catholic Church, the first stage on the path to canonization. (Yonhap)

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