Korean War Monument To Be Built In Flushing

From June 16 to June 20 at the Queens Museum, in the far back corner, behind the exuberant exhibits showcasing Worlds Fair materials, five small but very important pieces were on display. Almost constituting a tribute of their own, the five design proposals for the Korean War Veterans Monument to be built in Kissena Park in Flushing were displayed for public viewing at the museum.
The Korean War, sometimes referred to as the "forgotten war," often falls by the wayside of public consciousness because few details were readily available during its duration. But from June 1950 to July 1953, more than 30,000 American soldiers died and 8,000 pronounced missing in action out of the 1.7 million who were deployed. Of those who fought in the bloodiest war of the 20th Century, 181,000 came from New York.
Last year, Korean-Americans, veterans groups and politicians, including Councilman John Liu and Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, secured $630,000 in public and private funding to create a permanent memorial in Flushing, which is home to 100,000 Korean-Americans, the largest concentration outside of Korea.
"This monument will honor the sacrifices of the men and women who fought to defend freedom and democracy in the Korean War," said Assemblyman McLaughlin. "It is most fitting to build this in the heart of the vibrant community here in Flushing."
The group in charge of the memorial requested design proposals in April and were willing to consider submissions by individual artists, groups and organizations, provided they could create a sensitive tribute. Five designs were chosen from 32 submissions.
"We have achieved a milestone in the effort to build this monument to honor our veterans and their fallen comrades," said Councilman Liu. "The designs are all of incredible caliber, and the selection committee will no doubt have a difficulty choosing the best one. We look forward to announcing the final decision in time to mark the June 25th anniversary of the start of the war, 54 years ago."
If the memorial is expected to be completed by June 25, 2005, when the monument will be dedicated, marking the 55th anniversary of North Koreas invasion of South Korea.