Mikhail Gorbachev
Ex-Soviet President |
By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
Ahead of the 59th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, Gangwon Province will hold a dedication ceremony of a memorial in Hwacheon near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) today to represent Koreans' wish for world peace.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and former President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union will attend the ceremony to dedicate the World Peace Bell Park.
Construction began in 2005 as a sister project for the nearby Peace Dam.
Spanning 7,450 square meters of land where the remnants of the war (1950-53) still remain, the park will feature as its centerpiece the World Peace Bell, which is made of empty cartridge cases from battlefields all over the world.
The park is expected to play a role in renewing the call for peace at a time when tension between the two Koreas is mounting, according to Gangwon officials.
The bell is made of cartridges used during the war and conflict zones in some 30 regions including Palestine, Ethiopia and Colombia.
It is shaped like a Buddhist bell from the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 936), measuring 2.5 meters wide and 4.7 meters high, and weighing 37.5 tons.
In addition, the park will house a bell tower, decorated with handprints and messages from Nobel Peace Prize laureates including the Dalai Lama, former President Kim Dae-jung and Gorbachev.
jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
