Korea team in UP to finalise site of memorial

A delegation led by Kim Sung-Kyum, deputy director international cultural affairs division of Korea, is in UP to finalise the site in Ayodhya for the construction of a memorial of the Korean princess.

Accompanying him are three architects who visited various sites in Ayodhya where the memorial could be built. A meeting with the culture department officials and chief secretary is scheduled for Friday, said sources.

As per the plan, a memorial to mark Indo-Korea relations has been proposed. Sources said a delegation from Korea had visited UP in 2015 and met the chief minister with their plan. The chief minister had given a nod to the plan and promised all support. “It is only after that the team visited India with a lot of ground work done. The budget for the memorial has already been sanctioned by the Republic of Korea,” said an official of the culture department in UP.

The sites visited on the day included the old memorial of the princess that exists in the holy city of Ayodhya. The other land was seen adjacent to the memorial that belongs to the tourism department, said sources.

As per plan, the memorial equipped with a school, a guest house, museum and other facilities would be a tourist attraction. It would also highlight how the princess travelled from India to Korea around 2,000 years ago and a link between the two countries was established.

The research done on the princess and the India-Korea links would also find place in the memorial.

It is believed that Suriratna, a princess of Ayodhya, travelled to Korea to marry King Kim Suro, 2,000 years ago. Several exchange programmes of the culture department and the Republic of Korea have been undertaken in the past.