SEOUL-- South Korea and Colombia agreed Wednesday to boost cooperation and exchanges in the veterans affairs field and to extend support for those who fought in 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans affairs ministry said.

South Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) and the Colombian defense ministry inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Seoul earlier in the day, under which the two sides vowed to seek exchanges between their high-level officials and establish a regular consultative body to share and jointly develop measures for veterans, according to the ministry.

President Moon Jae-in and his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque attended the signing event. Duque has been in South Korea for a three-day state visit since Tuesday.

"We, in particular, will actively explore ways to show our respect to the elderly veterans who took part in the Korean War and push to organize exchange programs for their descendants," the ministry said in a release.

On the occasion of the summit, the ministry invited two Colombian veterans, along with their family members, to South Korea and has held various events, it added.

Colombia sent 5,100 troops to the war, which broke out on June 25, 1950, to help South Korea fight the North, backed by the Soviet Union and China. Of them, 213 were killed in action, and 448 were wounded. It was the only Latin American country to dispatch troops during the war.

The two Koreas are still technically at war as the conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Source: Yonhap News Agency