Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Memorials honoring 2 US war vets to be unveiled in Paju
Establishment symbolizes Korea-US alliance
Major General John Singlaub / Korea Times file photo
By Jung Da-hyun
Memorials for two Korean War veterans, late Maj. Gen. John Singlaub and late Col. William Weber, are set to be unveiled at Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, according to the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation (KUSAF), Wednesday. The unveiling ceremony is scheduled for today.
These two war heroes are celebrated as symbolic figures of the enduring alliance between Korea and the United States.
Singlaub, who passed away at the age of 100 last year, took part in the Korean War, as well as World War II and the Vietnam War. During the Korean War, he participated in a brutal battle in Gimhwa, Gangwon Province.
He was relieved of his position as military chief in South Korea in May 1977 due to his opposition to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s decision to withdraw American troops from South Korea.
In 1976, President Carter planned to bring 32,000 U.S. ground troops stationed in South Korea back home. Singlaub criticized the decision, warning that it could lead to another invasion by North Korea.
His statement highlighting the importance of saving lives and preventing invasion, regardless of achieving higher military rank, became renowned.
Col. William Weber, right, places a wreath during the Korean War American Prisoner of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) Commemoration Ceremony at Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Washington, D.C., Aug. 11, 2018. Yonhap
Weber, who also passed away last year at the age of 97, served as a member of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team and took part in key missions during the Korean War, including the Incheon Landing Operation.
He lost his right arm and right leg in 1951 during a battle in Wonju, Gangwon Province.
Weber is remembered as a highly decorated Korean War veteran who dedicated his efforts to ensuring that the American people remember the 1950-53 conflict, which is often referred to as “the Forgotten War.”
From 1993, he served as the president of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation (KWVMF) and spearheaded the initiative to construct 19 stainless-steel statues in South Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. He also took the lead in building the Wall of Remembrance, starting from 2006.
This wall, featuring the names of more than 36,000 American soldiers and 7,000 Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) soldiers who died during the Korean War, was opened to the public on July 27, 2022.
The Wall of Remembrance, featuring the names of more than 36,000 American soldiers and 7,000 Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) soldiers who died during the Korean War, opens to the public at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Washington D.C., July 27, 2022. Yonhap
The unveiling ceremony will be attended by Lt. Gen. Willard Burleson, the commanding general of the Eighth U.S. Army, and Yoon Jong-jin, the vice minister of patriots and veterans affairs.
Officials of the KUSAF and other Korean War veterans from the U.S. will also be present.
The KUSAF is also set to reveal to the public the blueprint for a memorial monument during the Korea-U.S. Alliance conference, scheduled for Friday in Seoul.
The memorial monument aims to honor 100 soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty and training after the settlement of the Korean Armistice Agreement in July 1953. Discussions are ongoing regarding the construction of this monument in central Seoul's Yongsan Park.