Airdrie City council members voted unanimously to provide a letter of support to the Korean War Commemorative Committee (KWCC) and the Airdrie Legion (Branch 288) for a monument to commemorate the Korean War and the residents who fought in the conflict, during a regular meeting on May 16.
Dylan Shim, communication director of the KWCC, proposed the installation of a Korean War Gapyeong Battle Victory monument in Airdrie in commemoration of the Battle of Gapyeong, which took place on April 22 to 25, 1951 between the United Nations Command forces and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army.
Shim said the government of South Korea has donated the monument to select locations in Canada, with the first installment in Winnipeg, MB, followed by one in Langley, BC, and Brampton, ON. The fourth installation is set to be erected in Niagara Falls, ON this summer.
“We believe Airdrie would be an opportune and strategic location to install the fifth monument as we continue the cooperative working relationship with the City and the Royal Canadian Legion No. 288,” Shim said in an email to the City.
During the council meeting, deputy mayor Al Jones said he would be glad to see a Korean War monument come to Airdrie and highlighted the local veterans who fought in the conflict.
“We do have some veterans from the Korean War,” Jones said. “Some of the stories that I am privy to of what they want through – I feel that it’s time that they are honoured in some way.”
The war monument would be the second installation gifted to the municipality by South Korea. In 2007, Gwacheon Park totem poles, handcrafted by a Korean artist, were gifted to the City to commemorate Airdrie's sister-city connection with Gwacheon, located near Seoul, South Korea – a tie that began 10 years earlier.
Additionally, in 2020, the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary offered to donate a bust of that country's national icon, Filipino hero Dr. Jose Rizal – who played an integral role in the country’s fight for independence from Spain in the late 19th century. The installation, which was seen as a way to honour the Alberta Filipino population of roughly 166,000 residents, is now located near the totem poles in Nose Creek Regional Park.
Regarding the proposed Korean War monument, Mayor Peter Brown said he can’t wait for the delegation – including representatives from KWCC and the Airdrie Legion – to present to council about the upcoming installation.
“All of you will be blown away with their passion and care for, the respect they have for Canadians who served,” Brown said during the meeting. “It’s just extraordinary.”
