The Dong-A Ilbo reports that six Korean War-related sites will be designated protected cultural properties by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA).
The sites are (drum roll…):
- Gimcheon’s Buhang Police Box Watch Tower (where police and civilians repelled a North Korean attack)
- Waegwan Railway Bridge (blown up to form part of the Nakdong Perimeter)
- Paju’s Battle of Seolmari site (where British troops took massive casualties fighting the North Koreans and Chinese)
- Seogwipo’s Old ROK Army Training Center No. 1 (where many of the Korean troops who retook Seoul were trained)
- Yeoncheon’s UN Forces cremation site (where the UN dead from the brutal battles of the western corridor where cremated)
- Seogwipo’s ROK Marine Corps Training Center (where the ROK Marines who participated in the Incheon Landing were trained)
Read the rest on your own.
Oh, and I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but last month, Seoul City asked the CHA to list a good number of modern buildings as cultural properties, including Namsan Library (in my neighborhood!), Namsan Freedom Center and Tower Hotel, National Theater, Orthodox Cathedral in Ahyeon-dong and Jeoldusan Catholic Martyrs Shrine.
3 Comments
This is an ill omen for those sites. The Cultural Heritage Administration was also in charge of preserving Namdaemun.
I think it’s about time that some of these Korean War sites and battlefields like Seolmari are recognized as a cultural property. Back in 2000-2003 when I was covering many of the Korean War Commemorative Events for the Korea Times I wondered why some of these places and others like Chipyong-ni (near Wonju) Kapyong, and Tabu-dong where Gen. Paik Sun-yup made his fight or die speech were not set aside as a cultural or historic site. Having been to many of these places, especially Seolmari, it’s nice that they are finally being recognized not only for Korea and Koreans, but in the case of Seolmari for all the British and other UN soldiers who lost their lives there and other places.
“(where British troops took massive casualties fighting the North Koreans and Chinese)”
As far as I know, you speak of the spring offensive by the Chinese (not NK’s) in April of April ‘51. Perhaps some Nork’s were there…as far as I know it was primarily a Chinese show.
I’ve hiked all over the battle field (still a S.Korean military base) and it is amazing. But, I have to say that the word “massive” might be a bit much. Not to down play the casualties.
The amount of prisoners taken was quite high in the Gloster’s, but the casualties were not “massive”.
That being said, they certainly delayed the Chicoms significantly and delivered a devastating blow to the Chinese forces.
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