James Lantz, a U.S. marine veteran who served in the 1950-53 Korean War, poses for a photo with a South Korean flag received from a Korean marine.

On June 7th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) released the story of an American Korean War veteran looking for a comrade who gave him a Korean flag 71 years ago.

The Consulate General of Los Angeles and the MPVA are actively participating in the “Taegukgi Marine Finding Campaign.” The MPVA has released a video of James Lantz (90 years old), a Korean War veteran asking for help to find his comrade on its website and YouTube channels and is waiting for any leads regarding his story. Park Min-sik, head of the MPVA said, “We will actively seek to find Korean veterans by spreading this beautiful story in the battlefield.”

According to Lantz, he served in the Korean War as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps for a year from November 1950. At that time, he was 18 years old and entered the port of Wonsan via Japan and Incheon, and was deployed to the Battle of Jangjinho, which is recorded as the fiercest battle of the Korean War.

He met his comrades in Daegu in 1951. In the spring of 1951, 20 to 30 South Korean marines joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Lantz happened to spend time talking with one South Korean marine among them. After staying in Daegu for about two weeks when Lantz’s troops moved to another place, the South Korean marine took the Korean flag out of his bag and gave it to Lantz, saying, “I want to give you a memorable gift.”

“I have kept the flag as a souvenir of war experience for the past 71 years,” Lantz said. “It’s a pity that I couldn’t give him the American flag.” Taegeukgi, the Korean flag he showed in the interview was in quite good condition without any damage even after a long time.

All Lantz remembered about the marine who gave him the Taegeukgi was that he was good at English with a friendly impression and gave him the Taegeukgi as a gift. He recalled his age at the time and said he hoped he was alive and well.

Information on the marine that Lantz is looking for can be sent to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ integrated call center by phone or e-mail.