By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea will donate about $115,000 to Colombia to help the South American nation build a monument commemorating the sacrifice made by Colombian troops during the 1950-53 Korean War, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Monday.
The 2.5-meter-high monument featuring the shape of the Turtle Ship, a warship designed and used by Korea's legendary Adm. Yi Soon-shin in the 16th century, will be built here and delivered to the Colombian Navy's museum in the South American nation's northern port city of Cartegena by November, it said in a news release.
More than 5,100 Colombian soldiers took part in the Korean War under the banner of the United Nations to help defend South Korea against attacks by North Korea backed by China.
Colombia was the only South American country that participated in the conflict, often called the ``Forgotten War.'' Over 200 Colombians were killed during the war and some 430 others were wounded.
South Korea has built 10 Korean War monuments in five nations, including Britain, Canada and Ethiopia, and plans to build four more by early next year in Colombia, Suriname and the United States.