The Korean National Association Memorial Foundation is launching a full-scale project to preserve and pass on the history of Korean immigration.
On November 19, the foundation held a press conference and announced a blueprint for the foundation’s future activities.
Clara Won, the foundation’s Chair, shared the foundation’s future operation plan titled “Sustainable Operation of Historic Sites in the Americas”. In the announcement, she emphasized the need for preservation, saying, “The Korean National Memorial Hall is a historic site in the U.S. where the footsteps of independence patriots remain.”
The foundation plans to build a Korean American History Preservation Platform to take the lead in preserving the history of Korean immigrants in the U.S. and historic sites. “Asian communities such as China, Japan, and Vietnam have platforms that preserve their immigration history, but the Korean-American community is the only one that does not,” she said. ”The Korean-American History Preservation Platform is necessary to protect our identity and history.”
Won explained that the platform is essential to continue its research on the history of immigration and the preservation of historic sites. “Korean-American organizations cannot continue to rely on the Korean government and other institutions,” she said. ”This is vital for the Korean-American community in order to study the history of immigration independently and achieve meaningful results.”
The foundation also plans to work to have the Korean National Memorial Hall listed as a federal government historic site. ”Being listed as a federal historic site enables better funding and operation of the memorial hall.”
However, there is still a long way to go. The ownership of the Korean National Memorial Hall is not the Foundation but the Korean United Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles. Jong Hyun Lim, a member of the Heritage Smart Consulting Group, explained at the meeting that “in order to become a federal government historic site, the organization of interest must own the site.”
Lim added that the project needs public support from American society to become a historic site. Currently, the only Korean cultural heritage site listed as a federal government historic site is the Old Korean Legation in Washington, D.C. “The Korean National Memorial Hall focuses on the history of Korean immigration and the independence movement, so it may be more difficult to be listed as a federal historic site, unlike the Old Korean Legation representing historic diplomacy and the relationship between Korea and the U.S.”
The foundation also plans to take the lead in fostering the next generation of Korean talent. “The foundation will compile the book ‘One Hundred Year History of Korean National Association’ published in September in English and make it a history textbook for the next generation,” said Won. She added, “We will also nurture the next generation of Korean talent through the Korean-American history preservation platform so that they have a chance to contribute to the Korean-American community and pass on and preserve the history of Korean immigration to the United States.”
The foundation is expected to continue cooperating with external organizations for sustainable operation. The foundation also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Hwarang Youth Foundation. “We have been working together with the Hwarang Youth Foundation, such as Dosan History School and national day events for two years, and we have signed an MOU to enhance the sustainability of our cooperation,” said Won.
She added that she will promote a next-generation youth exchange camp in cooperation with related youth and history organizations in Korea. In addition, the Foundation received a plaque to commemorate the memorial hall in cooperation with POSCO. Won said, “We will demonstrate the plaque next week and prepare for the ceremony.”
BY KYEONGJUN KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
