KU to honor memory of Korean War veterans

Dignitaries from three continents gather atop the Hill this weekend for the somber dedication  of KU’s Korean War Memorial.
 
The brick memorial, with its distinctive copper statue of four cranes created by KU professor Jon Havener, is located along Memorial Drive overlooking Potter Lake. It joins KU’s existing war memorials: the Kansas Memorial Union and Memorial Stadium for World War I, the campanile for World War II and the Vietnam Memorial.
 
Forty-four KU students, staff and alumni perished in the Korean War.
 
About $120,000 was raised for the memorial, including a $30,000 gift to the KU Endowment Association from Yong L. Kim, the founder and chairman of QMD International in Kansas City, Mo., an international trading company and manufacturer of steel components for household goods manufacturers. He also is chairman of Alterna-Med.com, an alternative health Web site. He and his wife, June, live in Leawood. They have three children, Jay, c ’89, p’90, Jane and Kay.
 
Other gifts include $10,000 from the KU Korean Association, an alumni chapter in Seoul, and $15,000 from representatives of five South Korean corporations—Korea National Housing Corp., Korea Land Corp., Myung Sun Architects & Engineers, Eawes, and Agabang Co. Ltd—whose leaders are affiliated with the University, either as graduates, former exchange students or Fulbright scholars.
 
At the 8:30 a.m. dedication April 16, Chancellor Robert Hemenway will welcome Jong Woo Han, former president and publisher  of the Korea Herald who is president of the SungKok Journalism Foundation;  Yong L. Kim, a Kansas City businessman and supporter of the project; and a  student leader from KU’s ROTC program. KU's ROTC will post the colors and perform “Taps” as  part of the dedication ceremonies.
 
Other invited guests will include Y.B. Min, chairman of YBM-Sisa  Corp. and founder of the International Communications Foundation in Korea;  Suk Kee Yoh, chairman of the International Communications Foundation in Korea;  Y.K. Lee, board member of the International Communications Foundation; C.K. Park, officer of the International Communications Foundation; Keum Dong Han, the Kansas representative in Korea for the Trade Development Division of the  Kansas Department of Commerce; Won Ho Chang, of Los Angeles; Kwang Sun Kim, g’83, PhD’86, dean of the graduate school at Korea University of Technology and Education; Sir Robert Worcester, b’55, a London resident who was stationed in Korea following his graduation from KU; veterans groups from across Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska; and KU faculty, staff and students.
 
“Korea: A Divided Nation on the World Stage,” a series of public  conferences, films and exhibits, is in progress this week in preparation for the dedication. A complete schedule  of events is at www.ceas.ku.edu/koreanMemorial/ .