Related materials, including a Korean national flag from the Korean War (1950–53) that was kept by a U.S. veteran, will be transferred to the Korean War Memorial in South Korea.
On February 20, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles, led by Consul General Youngwan Kim, announced that it will transfer a Korean national flag and wartime photos, donated by a Korean American living in Orange County, to the War Memorial.
The materials were originally kept by the late Harry Sherman, a Korean War veteran who passed away in 2000. They were later passed on to his acquaintance, Seungbin Lee.
Recently, Lee contacted the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles to donate the materials, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles consulted with the War Memorial of Korea to assess their historical value.
The donated materials include the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag) that a local resident near the Yalu River gave to Sherman during the war, along with photographs depicting the hardships of the conflict.
Sherman served in the Korean War as a member of the U.S. Army. He continued his service in Korea even after the armistice and was reportedly discharged in 1973.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles stated, “Mr. Seungbin Lee donated these historical materials in the hope that more Koreans will remember the horrors of war and the dedication of the veterans.” It added, “We hope that the War Memorial of Korea will evaluate the significance of these materials and explore ways to make them accessible to more visitors.”
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
