Dignitaries thanked for Korean War Peace Park fundraising
MONTGOMERY TWP. >> A steamy Friday morning marked another major milestone for a planned peace park honoring Korean War veterans.
Representatives and dignitaries from South Korea and Montgomery County turned over shovels meant to symbolize the start of work on the American-Korean Alliance Peace Park.
“This park will play an important role, not only as a beacon for hope and peace in the future, but also as an inspirational, soul-reflecting, and educational site, for all residents and visitors, especially young children,” said Ambassador Hyo Sung Park of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea.
“This memorial will ensure that the beautiful legacies made by Korean War veterans, through their noble sacrifices and valorous contributions, will live long in the memories of current and future generations,” he said.
As he spoke, dozens of local officials, and a handful like Park who had flown from South Korea for the dedication, heard an update on the planned park, to be located within Memorial Grove Park on Kenas Road in Montgomery Township.
Planning began in 2014 by members of the local Korean community to establish a permanent memorial recognizing soldiers and residents of both the United States and the Republic of Korea who lost their lives in the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953, and have helped keep the peace on the Korean peninsula since then.
A delegation from South Korea visited the planned memorial site in 2015, formal fundraising began in 2017, and local and international dignitaries who have helped secure roughly $600,000 in funds so far, from both Korea and American governments and private donors, were recognized Friday.
“The United States was the first country to extend a warm, helping hand to our nation, with the largest number of troops, sending a strong message of hope to all Koreans,” said Seong Choon Lee, Director General of the Commemoration Bureau of Patriots and Veterans Affairs of the Republic of Korea, reading remarks sent from Minister Pi WooJin of that department.
“Sixty-nine years have passed since then, and our alliance has become even more steadfast. The American-Korean Alliance Peace Park, that will be built here at Memorial Grove Park, will serve as a bridge that connects the governments, and the people, of the Republic of Korea and the United States, and symbolizes the novel alliance between our two nations that was forged from the Korean War,” he said.
Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh said she was proud to have the park in the county, and that the county was among the first contributors to the project.
“Back in 1998, this land was purchased using Montgomery County open space funds, under the county’s open space grant program. The county worked with Montgomery Township to make this purchase, and this land is forever protected,” she said.
So far roughly $600,000 of the estimated $900,000 needed for the construction of the park has been raised, according to Bong Pil Yang, the local martial arts studio owner who has led the local nonprofit behind the push for the memorial, and construction could be done in time for commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the conflict in summer 2020.
“Our nation honors the sons and the daughters of this country who answered the call to defend a country they never knew, and a people they had never met,” Yang said.
“Today, we honor the veterans of the Korean conflict, and the veterans who have served the Korean people. Their sacrifice and service is deeply appreciated by the citizens of the Republic of Korea, and of the United States of America,” he said.
Between speeches, Lee received an honorary citizenship proclamation from Mayor Greg D’Angelo of North Wales Borough, and Park received a similar honorary citizenship proclamation from Ambler Mayor Jeanne Sorg, and citations from State Senators Bob Mensch and Maria Collett, before officials from both countries turned shovels at the site where the memorial, a granite marker depicting the unified Korean peninsula, will soon stand.
“Today, we break ground on a wonderful and exceptional addition, the Korean War memorial. We look forward to having this memorial serve as a central gathering place for all residents of our community, to honor the sacrifice of our local heroic Korean, and U.S.-Korean veterans, and to remember those who are currently serving to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula,” said Montgomery Township supervisors Chairman Michael Fox.
Fundraising remains ongoing, and those interested in being part of the memorial can purchase commemorative bricks with custom engraved messages for $100 or $200, depending on the size. For more information or to donate to the Korean War Memorial and American-Korean Alliance Peace Park visit www.koreanwarmemorialpeacepark. com or search for “The Korean War Memorial, American-Korean Alliance Peace Park” on Facebook.