The Presidio, San Francisco, August 13, 2014: Director-General Lee Kyung Gun of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs paid an official visit to the future site of the Korean War Memorial today. Mr. Lee is in charge of the Ministry’s Commemoration and National Cemetery Bureau, which has oversight responsibility for all memorials to the Korean War outside of his own country. This visit has special significance, because the Ministry has requested that a government grant of as much as $1 million be authorized toward the cost of the Memorial.
Director-General Lee (gesturing) speaks with Man J. Kim (arms folded), as Song Mi Ran, Gerard Parker, Lee Sang Ryol, and Jung Kwan Hoe listen.
Director-General Lee was accompanied by several staff members from Korea and by Deputy Consul General Lee Sang Ryol of the Korean Consulate General in San Francisco. Welcoming them to the site were KWMF Vice President Man J. Kim and KWMF Executive Director Gerard Parker, both of whom expressed their appreciation for the Ministry’s generosity and for the Director-General’s visit. Director-General Lee, in turn, expressed his appreciation for the fact that the sacrifices of the Korean War were not being forgotten here in this country – sacrifices that made possible today’s democratic and prosperous Republic of Korea. All parties agreed to stay in close communication in the months leading up to the official opening of the Memorial.
Director-General Lee in the San Francisco National Cemetery, where 2,232 Korean War veterans lie buried. In the left background, beyond the white gate columns, is the Korean War Memorial site.
At the entrance to the National Cemetery
Photos courtesy of Hwan Lee, Korean Consulate General