By Lee Min-hyung
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs plans to hold an opening ceremony Tuesday for the United Nations Peace Memorial Hall near the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in the port city of Busan.
The five-story hall will serve as a place to pay tribute to fallen U.N. soldiers who served in the 1950-53 Korean War, as well as a venue to inspire patriotism among their descendants from 21 U.N. allied nations that participated in the conflict, said the ministry.
The building features four exhibition halls, a 4D theater and a convention hall, all of which will help raise awareness about the importance of world peace.
“The key theme of the exhibition is ‘Planting a seed of peace for future generations,’” the ministry said in its press release.
It marks the first museum in the world to commemorate war veterans of the U.N. forces.
Construction of the hall was first initiated in 2006 by then Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, now the U.N. Secretary General. Ban made the suggestion when he visited the U.N. Memorial Cemetery.
About 25 billion won ($2.3 million) has been spent on the four-year construction project, which was completed last month.
Some 300 people, including Korean War veterans here and abroad, government officials and diplomatic missions in Korea, as well as citizens, will participate in the event celebrating the opening of the hall.