Montgomery Twp's New America-Korea Alliance Peace Park To Open

MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, PA — Montgomery Township's newest park, which has been in the works for years, will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony this weekend with a foreign dignitary in attendance.

The new Korean War Memorial and America-Korea Alliance Peace Park will officially open this weekend. South Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Won Sam Chang, will be on hand, as well as numerous county and state leaders.

“Old history leads the way to our future, our spirit, and our hope," Bong Pil Yang, the chair of the project, said back when ground was first broken on the park and memorial back in July 2019. "This Peace Park will help to sustain the positive and dynamic development of the Republic of Korea-American Alliance that emerged from the Korean War."

The park is located on 1001 Kenas Road. The location in Montgomery Township was chosen due to the 45,000 Montgomery County residents of Korean background, township officials said. Individuals with Korean background comprise about 10 percent of the population of Montgomery Township and the surrounding area.

Due to coronavirus and related public health concerns, the actual ribbon cutting event is not open to the public.

The project was born out of a born out of a desire to both commemorate America's partnership with an important ally in South Korea, and to recognize the servicemembers who fought in the Korean War.

"The new monument and peace park is meant to honor the veterans who have served in Korea while deepening the ties between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America by providing a site for reflection and cultural activities," project organizers said.

It's a conflict often overlooked, bookended by World War II and Vietnam, yet tens of thousands of Americans served there, and an estimated 10,000 American military personnel return from duty in South Korea each year, according to Montgomery Township.

There are just 139 Korean War monuments in the United States, and only six in Pennsylvania.