Tulip
Inside this capsule: a seed of Tulip — and a story of friendship that began in 1950. Drag the capsule to face its label; the QR code is real.
The flower of Netherlands
Photo: Dina L · CC0
The flower the Netherlands gave the world. Dutch tulips are sent abroad as gestures of gratitude and friendship — this one grows for Korea.
Flower meaning
The tulip stands for perfect love and gratitude — the Netherlands' flower of thanks, sent abroad by the millions.
Growing your seed
Free the seed from its compostable kraft shell, then give it what tulip asks for:
Watch it grow
Henk Bos served in Korea as a part of a Dutch Unit attached to the 38th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 3rd US Army. Due to a desire to leave the Netherlands as soon as possible, he volunteered to serve his country in 1952. Despite having a high school education and being…
A voice from Netherlands’s service in Korea · More on Korean War Legacy Foundation
Dutch veterans carried home a lasting bond with Korea, renewed through memorials and revisit programs. Each orange tulip from this capsule blooms in their honor.
“We Remember. We Grow Together.”
Voices from the archive
Stories from veterans, families and participants that carry the same values as the tulip — retold from the record, never invented.
The Netherlands Detachment was raised from volunteers, many of whom had already known occupation and war at home. Dutch Korea veterans gathered annually for decades, and their regiment still carries Korea in its battle honors. (TODO: verify current commemorations)
Source: Regiment Van Heutsz tradition
Help this archive grow
Did someone in your family serve with Netherlands in Korea — or were they healed, taught or befriended by those who did? Every entry is reviewed and verified with you before publication.
Share a story1950 – 1953
The Netherlands Detachment United Nations, built around volunteers of the Van Heutsz Regiment, fought attached to the US 2nd Infantry Division, including hard winter fighting near Wonju and Hoengseong in early 1951. The Royal Netherlands Navy also served in Korean waters through the war.
Historical passages are written with care and without invented figures; details still under review are marked for verification before print.
A nation that reclaimed its land from the sea, the Netherlands knows patience and cooperation as national virtues. Its tulip fields bloom in disciplined rows — beauty built from careful, shared labor.
Why the Tulip
The flower the Netherlands gave the world. Dutch tulips are sent abroad as gestures of gratitude and friendship — this one grows for Korea.