18 May 2005

New Zealand contribution in Korea to be recognised

The contribution made by New Zealanders in the Korean War is to be recognised with the construction of a memorial at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Pusan, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced today.

"Funding of $100,000 (GST exclusive) is included in this week's budget to construct a simple but substantial memorial at the cemetery," said Helen Clark.

"When I visited Korea in 2003 I asked the New Zealand Ambassador to begin work on a proposal for a suitable memorial, to recognise the contribution of the more than 6,000 New Zealand service men and women who served in Korea.

"There are two existing New Zealand memorials in Korea, but neither are national memorials on suitably prominent sites. The United Nations Memorial Cemetery is the logical place for a new memorial. It is where the New Zealand war dead are buried but there is no New Zealand memorial there.

"The memorial will recognise all New Zealanders who served with the UN forces in Korea between 1950 and 1957. The exact wording will be established during the design phase and will be discussed with veterans," Helen Clark said.

ENDS

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