Seoul, (Samajweekly) A group of Korean Americans was set to unveil a new monument in the US this week to commemorate the sacrifices of US troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the Veterans Affairs Ministry in Seoul said on Thursday.
The Korean War Memorial Monument Committee plans to hold a ceremony unveiling the structure, bearing the names of 36,591 fallen US troops, in Fullerton City, Orange County, California on Thursday, the Ministry said.
The dedication event was timed to coincide with South Korea’s memorial day honoring the foreign troops who fought alongside South Korean troops under the UN banner during the war, the first major armed conflict of the Cold War, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The memorial consists of five star-shaped pillars, each standing 1.5 metres high. On each pillar, the names of fallen troops are engraved.
The committee had carried out a fund-raising campaign for the establishment of the monument for 11 years.
The South Korean government donated 262 million won ($220,836), 30 per cent of the total cost for the memorial.
More than 400 individuals and organisations participated in the project.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Joe Biden also have sent congratulatory messages, which will be released during the ceremony, according to the Ministry.
Around 1.7 million American troops fought in the war against the North Korean forces, backed by the then Soviet Union and China.
Thousands of others remain missing
On Thursday, South Korea will host the “Turn Toward Busan” ceremony at the UN Memorial Cemetery in the southeastern port city of Busan — an annual event that has been held since 2007, to commemorate the sacrifices of the fallen troops.
