Six decades after the Korean War, military officials unveiled a commemorative statue in Seoul on Wednesday to honor a U.S. general.

U.S. Army General, Walton H. Walker, the first Korean War commanding general of the 8th Unites States Army, mounted a successful defense of the Busan Perimeter, late in the summer of 1950. The North's army was put in full-retreat.

[Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Fil, Jr., U.S. Army]:
“Because of General Walker and his soldiers who held the line at the Busan Perimeter, Korea stands as a model for the entire world today. A country devastated by war mere six decades ago is now one of the world's leading nations.”

South Korean and U.S. troops attended the ceremony to honor General Walker and praised his service during the war. The two sides pledged to keep their close alliance in the future.

[Lee Hee-won, Special Secretary on National Security]:
"General Walker's spirit of self-sacrifice led to the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance today. It is the most successful model of an alliance and it is a core axis for Northeast Asia's security and world peace."

The United States still has 37,000 troops in South Korea, seen as a deterrent to the communist North and as a key element in America's Asia-Pacific security umbrella.

The Korean War started in June 1950, when 90,000 North Korean troops launched a surprise attack across the 38th parallel into South Korea.

U.S.-led United Nations forces battled Chinese and-Soviet-backed North Korea to a stalemate on the parallel in the Korean War. Nearly 37,000 U.S. troops were killed in Korea and more than 100,000 were wounded in the conflict.