00:00 Have you ever watched a TikTok?
00:02 You probably have read it somewhere in the comment section.
00:06 Or maybe you're just copying it?
00:09 Oh yeah, Battle of Yultong.
00:13 Hehe, but wait, what is that?
00:17 The trending Battle of Yultong?
00:20 Do you know what really happened in our history?
00:23 [Music]
00:30 It all started when a Korean posted a bad comment online
00:35 about Filipinos who were fighting against our keyboard warriors.
00:39 It was a reminder of the battle of Yultong in the 1950s.
00:45 After that, the Koreans asked for a pardon.
00:48 So, what's our connection to the Philippines?
00:51 We're joined by Professor Melanie Turingan,
00:55 Doctor of Philosophy in Philippine Studies,
00:57 to give us a little insight.
01:00 According to the history of the world,
01:02 there was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea
01:05 that resulted in the so-called Korean War
01:09 from June 1950 to July 1953,
01:13 where North Korea's ally was China,
01:16 while America and the United Nations joined South Korea.
01:20 The history of that was,
01:22 at that time, the UN General Head was Carlos Romulo.
01:29 So, because we had a very high position in the United Nations,
01:34 it became one of his commitments
01:37 that the Philippines should send a representative
01:41 to support the United Nations' commitment to peace.
01:47 So, America and other countries like Turkey and Puerto Rico helped.
01:54 The battle of Yultong lasted for more than three years.
01:58 It lasted from April 22 to April 23, 1951.
02:06 It was fought by the 10th Battalion Command Team
02:12 sent by the Philippines against Chinese communists,
02:18 North Korean military officers.
02:21 900 to 1,000 contingents were sent by the Philippines.
02:27 And, unfortunately, 40,000 Chinese and North Koreans.
02:34 The country of Battle of Yultong was famous
02:39 for the place where the war was fought.
02:42 The area where you can see Yultong Hill
02:47 is almost on the boundary of the 38th parallel.
02:52 So, that's the division between North and South Korea.
02:56 Since the North is bigger than the South,
02:59 there were more Chinese people there
03:02 to enter the territory of the Allied Powers.
03:08 Despite being defeated in the war,
03:11 there were still some factors that made it difficult for the Filipinos.
03:15 They were not prepared.
03:20 They were prepared because they had the ability,
03:23 they were officers, they were military men.
03:26 But when it came to that, the first trial was cold.
03:30 So, their habit of wearing clothes in the Philippines was not good.
03:36 So, they were trained by the US in advanced technologies.
03:42 But since the US was fighting,
03:44 they were left with their technology,
03:46 so they trained.
03:48 This is where the Filipino geniuses came out.
03:52 Because the place was not familiar to them,
03:54 they studied it.
03:56 And there's a story behind that here in AHA.
04:02 We found one of the 900 Filipinos who was sent to Korea during the war.
04:07 Here in Tralac.
04:10 This is Lolo Simeon.
04:13 At the age of 94, he was still fresh with the experiences he had during the Battle of Yultong.
04:18 He often told his children about it.
04:21 It started when he worked in a hospital.
04:25 He was an officer there.
04:27 He was encouraged to volunteer.
04:30 He volunteered to be a soldier.
04:33 And he was placed in that position.
04:36 Lolo Simeon's father dreamed of becoming a soldier.
04:40 So, he volunteered himself.
04:44 And the first war he fought was the Battle of Yultong.
04:49 I was 20 years old.
04:51 I was a medical aid man.
04:53 My job was to provide first aid.
05:00 I was the first to receive treatment.
05:03 Before I could see a doctor,
05:06 I would get a cloth and tie it here.
05:10 Then I would put my hand here.
05:14 I would pull it.
05:17 Pull.
05:18 He will never forget the loud sounds of the war.
05:29 We had automatic machines.
05:36 We put in a syringe.
05:41 We tied it.
05:45 As soon as it was stretched,
05:49 it would shoot.
05:51 The pine trees were not strong and big.
05:55 When they were tied,
05:57 it would break.
05:58 The big head of the pine tree would fall.
06:03 It was estimated that 11 to 15 Filipino leaders died.
06:11 At that time, Lolo Simeon was already convinced that he would not be able to return home alive.
06:17 He was in the medical service.
06:20 He said that they were the target.
06:23 They were the target so that no one could give medicine to other soldiers.
06:29 Their lives were very dangerous.
06:32 Since they were the target,
06:34 he had to think about how he would live.
06:38 And at the same time, how he would help his fellow Filipinos.
06:41 But despite the fear,
06:43 their belief was that
06:44 I would not give up.
06:47 According to some historians,
06:49 the most powerful weapon of the Filipinos was the TAPAC.
06:53 It was a triangle.
06:57 On one end, the first Turkish block entered,
07:01 it failed.
07:03 The next was the Puerto Rican block,
07:05 it failed.
07:06 The next was the Filipino block,
07:08 it almost failed.
07:09 But since they were brave,
07:12 they responded.
07:13 The Chinese did not anticipate that they would not be ready.
07:21 And unknowingly,
07:23 there were also guards on the top of the terrain
07:25 who were watching over what was happening below.
07:28 So the enemy was caught off guard
07:30 even if there were more of them.
07:32 So they had no choice but to retreat.
07:35 In two days of fighting,
07:37 the Filipinos won against 40,000 enemies.
07:40 The Filipinos are the ones who are fighting in Yoltong.
07:45 The Filipinos are very emotional,
07:50 so emotion bound.
07:52 So, instead of loving and treating our fellow Filipinos as family,
07:58 we will use their death
08:01 to make us stronger.
08:04 After the battle of Yoltong,
08:05 they brought back the pride of our country.
08:09 Since then,
08:11 Grandfather Simeon did not continue his military service.
08:13 Instead, he focused on his family
08:16 and looked for other fun.
08:18 But he was proud that the first and last war
08:22 was really a historical one.
08:23 And his remaining remembrance from the battle of Yoltong,
08:27 his dog tag that he gave to his grandson.
08:32 What is the dog tag for?
08:34 In military terms,
08:35 it serves as an identification tag
08:37 of a soldier who was part of his uniform.
08:40 Why is this important?
08:42 It serves as an identity of a soldier
08:46 so that if he is ever injured,
08:48 he can easily be identified and recognized
08:51 and be returned to his loved ones.
08:53 The battle of Yoltong is a good study
08:56 because in the Philippines,
08:58 we are used to celebrating
09:02 the occasion of Kasawiano.
09:05 So, imagine,
09:07 April 9 is a holiday,
09:10 Day of Bail,
09:11 or it is a good day to remember
09:13 because it is the day of Kagitingan.
09:15 But that day is in line with the Fall of Bataan
09:20 where almost 10,000 Filipinos died
09:24 from starvation and poverty during the journey
09:28 from Mariveles to Pampanga to Tarlac.
09:32 This is an important aspect of history
09:35 because it is a success.
09:38 The Philippines does not fight directly,
09:42 but as a country that has peace in the whole world.
09:48 For Grandfather Simeon and other Filipinos
09:51 who fought in the battle of Yoltong,
09:53 Salute!
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