Korean War hero statue will finally have a home
The artist’s rendition of General Walton H. Walker’s bronze statue.
The ROK-U.S. Alliance Friendship Society announced yesterday that the statue (13 meters by 17 meters, or 43 feet by 56 feet) will be put up on the 58th anniversary of Walker’s death, Dec. 23, in the Eighth U.S. Army base in Yongsan District. Established in April 2003, the private organization will spend one billion won ($960,615) on the construction, according to organization officials.
“The Eighth U.S. Army base will be transformed into a public park after the troops leave Seoul for Pyongtaek,” said Suh Jin-sup, 76, head of the organization. “Walker sacrificed his life for South Korea. To honor his achievement, we have promoted this plan.”
Planning for the bronze statue began in 2005. The first proposed site was the UN Memorial Park in Busan. However, several UN veterans of the war were against the proposal, saying putting up a statue for one specific person was not fair.
Daegu was then put forward, as Walker had won battles there. But some anti-American civic groups mounted a resistance campaign.
Organization officials tried to meet government officials to negotiate, but the meeting was indefinitely postponed due to upcoming local elections. They tried to bring up the issue again after the election, but were told they couldn’t erect the statue.
Persisting, the group came up with a plan to put the statue in the eponymous U.S. base in Daegu, Camp Walker. But U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow nixed the idea because the base is scheduled to be moved to another location.
On the final attempt, they chose Seoul. The former commander of the Eighth U.S. Army, Burwell B. Bell, accepted their suggestion.
Walker, who succeeded in defending the Nakdong River area, helping General Douglas MacArthur win the Battle of Incheon, was killed when his command jeep hit a civilian truck in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, in 1950.
By Song Yee-ho JoongAng Ilbo [spark@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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