The South Korean government visited 34 surviving Korean War veterans in Southern California and awarded them the Ambassador for Peace Medal.
Consul General of Korea in Los Angeles, Youngwan Kim, visited the West LA’s Veterans Home of California, a retirement home for veterans in West Los Angeles, to present the Ambassador for Peace Medal to 34 Korean War veterans.
This marks the first time the Consul General has visited a facility where veterans reside to present the medals.
The ceremony was attended by more than 60 veterans, family members, and officials from the Veterans Home.
Kim personally hung the Ambassador for Peace Medal around the necks of the honored veterans and presented them with commemorative veterans’ hats. For those veterans who were unable to attend the ceremony due to health reasons, Kim visited their hospital rooms to express gratitude and present them with the Medal.
“The sacrifices and dedication of our veterans are forever imprinted in the hearts of Korean people and will never be forgotten,” said the Consul General.
“We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Consulate General for this wonderful and memorable gesture to honor our veterans,” said Stephanie Weaver, Administrator at Veterans Home of California West LA.
The Consulate General plans to continue reaching out to Korean War veterans residing in veterans’ residences within its consular jurisdiction to recognize their service.
“We are aware of eight surviving Korean War veterans in Reno, Nevada, and 24 in Arizona,” mentioned Consul Junghee Moon. “We have also been informed of related facilities in Lancaster and Barstow, and we intend to visit them as well.”
Following the medal presentation ceremony, a performance team from the Korean Traditional Music Institute of America entertained the veterans and residents of the Veterans Home with traditional and fusion Korean music.
BY NICOLE CHANG, HOONSIK WOO [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
