[USFK Forums] Korean War Memorial to Be Built in Arkansas [Korea Times]

[C. Y. Lee]

[Uploaded by C. Y. Lee, Wednesday, November 9, 2005] An article of the Korea Times is uploaded as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Korean War Memorial to Be Built in Arkansas

The Korea Times, Tuesday, November 8, 2005

By Lee Hyo-sik, Staff Reporter

This is an artist’s conception of a Korean War memorial square to be built inside MacArthur memorial park in Little Rock, Ark. The construction is to be completed by next August. / Courtesy of Hanam City

A local municipality and the Korean government will finance construction of a Korean War memorial square in the U.S. as a dispute over a statue of the late U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur in South Korea continues.

Hanam City, east of Seoul, and the Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs (MPVA) plan to contribute some 420 million won ($400,000) to create the memorial square in Little Rock, capital of the U.S. state of Arkansas and the hometown of Gen. MacArthur. Hanam has carried out a wide array of exchange programs with the U.S. city, well known as the political base of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, since 1991 when they formed sisterhood ties.

Mayor Lee Gyo-beom and other city officials are scheduled to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the memorial square on Saturday along with Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey.

A city official said the square will be completed next August on 1,535 square meters of land inside Little Rock’s MacArthur memorial park. The square will feature two Korean traditional pavilions, an arch-shaped bridge and bronze statues of soldiers.

The project started when the U.S. city made a proposal for the Korean War memorial square to Hanam City in July 2003. The MPVA delivered a first installment of 140 million won to Little Rock in December that year through the Korean consulate in Houston, Texas.

The project is attracting keen attention from the public, as anti-U.S. groups have been demanding the removal of the general MacArthur’s statue from Inchon, west of Seoul. They argue that the American general was a ``war criminal’’ who hindered the unification of two Koreas, while conservative civic groups vowed to stand guard over the monument, saying the general was a war hero who helped defend the country’s freedom and democracy.

Hanam City expressed hope that the new memorial square would help improve strained bilateral relations between the two countries over the general’s statue.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr 11-08-2005 17:47