Yogi likely to open park named after Korean queen

The beautification work of the Queen Heo Hwang-ok park will be completed by the first week of October.

LUCKNOW : The Queen Heo Hwang-ok memorial park named after a Korean queen with Indian roots is in the last stage of completion in Ayodhya, where it is undergoing expansion and beautification. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to inaugurate it during the Deepotsav celebrations on the festive occasion of Diwali in the temple town. Diwali falls on November 4 this year.

According to the Ayodhya administration, beautification work will be completed by the first week of October.

The memorial will portray the journey of Princess Suriratna of Ayodhya, who had travelled to Korea and married King Kim Suro and became Queen Heo Hwang-ok in 48 AD. Many Koreans trace their ancestry to the legendary princess. The state government has allocated Rs 24 crore for the project.

“The memorial will also depict the cultures of both the countries through various means and the journey of the Princess from Ayodhya to Korea,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Ayodhya Sadar.

This park is expected to be a major tourist attraction in Ayodhya. The sea journey of the Princess is being recreated at the memorial with the help of a pond.The south-east corner of the memorial will have a statue of Queen Heo Hwang-ok and the north-east corner a statue of King Kim Suro. The pond will also have a foot overbridge.

The South Korean government has also carried out beautification work at the park and developed the King and Queen pavillions there.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) for expansion and beautification of the existing memorial of Queen Heo Hwang-ok.