Osan City Emerges as Center for Korean War History Education Experience

Osan City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kwak Sang-wook) announced on the 26th that it has concluded a mutual exchange agreement on "Smith Battalion Korean War Participation Commemoration Project" with the Kim Chang-jun Future Korea-U.S. Foundation (Chairman Kim Chang-jun) at the city hall situation room.

The agreement ceremony was held after Future Korea-U.S. Foundation Chairman Kim Chang-jun, who recently visited the UN Forces First Battle Memorial Hall, was moved by the hall's historical significance and shared a common understanding with Osan City on promoting various projects related to the Smith Battalion's participation in the Korean War.

Both organizations expressed shared commitment to honoring the noble sacrifices and dedication of the Smith Battalion for defending freedom by cooperating and supporting each other through the project implementation.

The UN Forces First Battle Memorial Hall, which opened in April last year, was established to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the Smith Battalion, a U.S. military unit that first engaged North Korean forces at Jukmi-ryeong during the Korean War.

Since its opening, the memorial hall has welcomed over 34,000 visitors and has made significant contributions to promoting the historical value of the Jukmi-ryeong Battle in Osan and the noble sacrifices of UN Forces through proper understanding of the Korean War.

The main contents of the agreement include cooperation in confirming the roster and identifying survivors of Smith Battalion members who participated in the Korean War, cooperation in inviting participating Smith Battalion members and in artifact donation projects, and cooperation in promoting the UN Forces First Battle Memorial Hall and establishing and operating a website for exchange between participants and bereaved families. Additionally, both organizations agreed to actively cooperate in promoting Smith Battalion participation commemoration projects, including future construction of a Smith Battalion memorial park.

With this agreement, when the Smith Battalion participation commemoration memorial park is established near the UN Forces First Battle Memorial Hall, it is expected to attract not only U.S. Forces Korea and Osan citizens but also domestic and international tourists and develop into a venue for security education.

Mayor Kwak Sang-wook of Osan stated, "It is a great joy for Osan City to conclude a mutual agreement with Chairman Kim Chang-jun's Future Korea-U.S. Foundation, which has contributed significantly to enhancing Korea-U.S. friendship and cooperation and elevating Korea's status in the United States," and added, "I hope that through this agreement, promotion of the UN Forces First Battle Memorial Hall in the United States and revitalization of exchange between participants and bereaved families as well as Smith Battalion participation commemoration projects such as the construction of a Smith Battalion memorial park will be conducted more actively."

Meanwhile, Kim Chang-jun, Chairman of the Future Korea-U.S. Foundation, the target organization of this agreement, currently serves as a member of the Presidential Office's Economic Advisory Council. In 1992, he became the first Korean to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from California, serving three consecutive terms, leaving a significant footprint in the immigration history of the Republic of Korea.