The Australian National Korean War Memorial is on Anzac Parade, the principal ceremonial and memorial avenue in Canberra, the national capital city of Australia. The

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

began on 25 June 1950 when the forces of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

invaded

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. 17,000 Australians fought under the command of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

until the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

in 1953.http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/war-memorial This memorial commemorates and honours those who died and served.

Sculpture

KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL IN CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

The design of the memorial characterises the period of the Korean War. The use of white and grey tones, and

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

and gravel, recall the harsh climate and terrain that were lasting impressions for those who fought there. On both sides of the memorial are figures representing Australian soldiers,

sailors A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and airmen who served in Korea. Battlefield boulders are set in fields of stainless steel poles which symbolise those who died. A central walk-way leads to a semi-enclosed contemplative space. A boulder from a Korean battlefield is a focal commemorative point with the words "Peace and Independence" inscribed in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

. Inside are images, maps and text etched into stainless steel panels telling the story of the Australians who served in the Korean War, on the left telling the general story and on the right telling of particular involvement of the Navy (nine ships and an air group), Army (3 RAR, and elements of 1 & 2 RAR), and Air Force (77 Squadron and other elements). A scroll recognises the 21 nations that committed troops or medical units to the UN command. The

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

at the front commemorates those who died with no known graves. The inscription, taken from the UN Memorial Cemetery,

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

, is a poignant link with the Australians who are buried there.

Dedications

A ground-breaking ceremony was conducted on 17 September 1999 by

Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung (; ; 6 January 192418 August 2009), was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. He was a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for his work for democracy and human ...

, President of the Republic of Korea and

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

MP, Prime Minister of Australia, which is commemorated by a

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

. The memorial was dedicated in the presence of Sir

William Deane Sir William Patrick Deane (born 4 January 1931) is an Australian barrister and jurist who served as the 22nd governor-general of Australia, in office from 1996 to 2001. He was previously a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1982 to 19 ...

AC K.B.E., Governor-General of Australia and

MP, Prime Minister of Australia.

Gallery

Image:AS_Korea_2.jpg Image:AS_Korea_3.jpg Image:AS_Korea_4.jpg

References

External links

*
Korean War Memorial in AustralianPlanet
{{coord, 35.286, S, 149.144, E, type:landmark_region:AU-ACT, display=title Australian military memorials Korean War memorials and cemeteries Military memorials in Canberra

Sculpture

Dedications

Gallery

See also

References

External links