SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Yonhap) -- Vice Veterans Minister Kang Yun-jin will visit the United States this week to attend a South Korea-hosted international forum on veterans policies and exchanges, including honoring the 1950-53 Korean War veterans, the ministry said Thursday.

Kang will make a five-day trip to Washington, where the International Conference on Veterans Affairs is due to take place starting Thursday (local time), the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said in a release.

Established in 2005, the conference is a recurring forum to expand policy exchanges with U.N. sending states and promote friendship among the participating nations of the Korean War.

It is taking place in Washington for the first time this year to mark the South Korea-U.S. alliance, as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of American independence, the ministry said.

Under the theme "Commemorating the Peace and Freedom We Achieved Together," the conference is expected to bring together around 200 participants, including officials from the U.S. Congress, senior veterans affairs officials from five Korean War participating nations, including Turkey, France and the Philippines.

"Building on this conference, we will further strengthen international cooperation in veterans affairs with the nations that participated in the Korean War and make every effort to ensure that the great legacy left by our veterans is fully passed on to future generations in each country," Kang said.

elly@yna.co.kr

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