State of Hawaii proclaims June 25 as Korean War Remembrance Day

The State of Hawaii has proclaimed June 25 as “Korean War Remembrance Day,” marking the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Hawaii has become the first U.S. state to commemorate the anniversary. Earlier in 2010, other states, including Washington, Florida, and Arkansas commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.

According to Voice of America (VOA), Hawaii Governor David Ige issued a proclamation on Monday (local time), saying he proclaims June 25 as “Korean War Remembrance Day” in Hawaii to “honor the Korean War veterans and their families for their brave and selfless sacrifice.” The proclamation added that there were about 25,000 Hawaiians among six million Americans who served in the war and about 400 were killed in action and 900 were wounded.

Governor Ige stressed that the United States and the Republic of Korea “stand together as strong allies” with the bilateral alliance formed in the aftermath of the war and “economic partners for peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.” The Japanese-American governor added that the names of more than 8,000 Americans unaccounted for from the Korean War are inscribed on the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and the names of the 456 Hawaiians killed in action are engraved on the grounds of the Korean War Memorial on the Hawaii State Capitol.

Instead of marking the beginning of the Korean War on June 25, major states in the U.S. have held events on July 27, commemorating the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement on the day in 1953. Most of the commemoration ceremonies, however, have been canceled or downsized this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


yeah@donga.com