James Van Fleet, the late U.S. general, was chosen as the recipient of an award from the South Korean government for his commitment to defending the Asian ally during the 1950-53 Korean War, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.

Gen. Van Fleet will posthumously receive the annual Paik Sun-yup Award, which was named after the best-known South Korean hero of the three-year conflict, with his grandson to attend the ceremony due later in the day to receive the award.

After arriving in Korea in 1951, Van Fleet led major campaigns as the commander of the Eighth U.S. Army to counter attacks by North Korea.

His only son, Captain James A. Van Fleet Jr., also took part in the war on the peninsula as an Air Force pilot and was reported missing in action in 1952, after a night bombing mission.

After retiring from active duty in 1953, he engaged in a variety of missions regarding South Korea, such as serving as the chairman of the American Korean Foundation. He also played a role in the establishment of the Korea Military Academy, which earned him the nickname "The father of the Korean Army," according to the ministry.

He died at the age of 100 in 1992.

Van Fleet was the third recipient of the Paik Sun-yup Award, with the second one going to a U.S. veteran, William Weber, and the initial recipient, U.S. Army Gen. Walton Walker.

The Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, when North Korean troops, backed by the Soviet Union, invaded the South. The U.S. and 20 other allied countries fought alongside South Korea under the United Nations flag, while China helped North Korea.

It ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically in a state of war, with tensions on the peninsula still running high. (Yonhap)