Despicable: UN Cemetery in Busan Vandalized
This story is truly despicable. A group of people has vandalized the UN Cemetery in Busan:
A giant anti-U.S. President George W. Bush message apparently written in herbicide has appeared on the lawn of the UN Memorial Cemetery in Daeyeon-dong, Busan. The site is reportedly on the itinerary of visiting national leaders attending the APEC summit in November.
The office of the UN Memorial Cemetery said Thursday it notified Nambu Police Station on the morning of June 14 that someone had written “NO BUSH” in 10 m high letters on the lawn between the flags of nations participating in the Korean War and the graves.
The cemetery’s office said it appeared the perpetrators used liquid herbicide to write the message, which was 50 m wide, with each line some 30 cm thick. Given the scale, it must have taken several people with spraying tools to write it, the office said. The grass is being restored.
This reminds me of when the grave stones of GIs killed during the invasion of Normandy in France were spray painted by anti-American vandals with the words, “Remove this rubbage from French lands”.
If someone has got a problem with Bush that is fine. Go stand on the street corner and protest. You have every right to do so but you don’t have the right to harm others or vandalize property. Especially the hollowed ground of UN soldiers buried at the UN Cemetery. That is right it isn’t just the remains of US soldiers buried in Pusan. The cemetery in Pusan is the only cemetery administered by the UN in the whole world and includes remains of soldiers from all the countries that took casualties during the war. I have traveled to the cemetery before and it is really a beautiful and solemn place for being situated in the middle of Korea’s 2nd largest city of Busan.
I would hope that people no matter what their political persuasions may be would agree that such a place should be considered sacred. It is unfortunate that such an act of vandalism is kept in the back pages of the papers and is not causing an outcry here in Korea. The memories of these dead soldiers are cheapened by such an act of vandalism by a country these international soldiers gave their lives to save. The way the youth is today, I doubt these same protesters would be willing to die for Korea like these soldiers did during the Korean War.
Could you imagine the outcry if somebody put anti-Bush graffiti somewhere at Arlington National Cemetery? I think even the kookiest Democrats like Howard Dean would even condemn such an act. Why shouldn’t Korea do the same for this cemetery?
Big shout out to Katolic Shinja for pointing this story out.
Ditto your comments about the vandalism. That really is vile to desecrate an apolitical area like a cemetery with a political message. And the way it was done (using herbicides) on the lawn is contemptible.
As far as your comment goes about how people would react if there had been anti-Bush graffiti at Arlington, I think a more fitting analogy would be how people would react if they saw anti-Roh graffiti near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
I think some Americans would brush it off as a non-sequitur. However, I think the vast majority of us would be up in arms if anyone EVER tried to desecrate that place with ANY kind of political message whatsoever.
GI,
The sharply divided categories of sacred and profane come from the West. Eastern religions have no distinction seeing the divine force in everything: thus, the vandelism was a sacred act of protest in defense of the mystical community of the Minjok.
What we call a vandal is a righteous freedom-fighter in the collective mind of Korea.
Similar to Catholics who see a saint in the late Pope John Paul II, while others saw a man who protected his pedophile priests.
GI, I can see US, UK, and (I think) French flags in the picture. Looks like a couple more flags flying but I can't make them out.
I'd be interested in any more details you might have to hand(how many graves of each nationality, breakdown of rank structure, how many other UN/US military cemetaries elsewhere in ROK (if any), etc).
Or maybe you can supply a link and I can look for myself.
No particular need to know, just that I share your historical interest. I didn't realize the US had any Korean War dead buried there; I guess I thought they would have been all brought back eventually from temporary cemetaries in ROK to either their homes or to the National cemetary in Hawaii. I don't think we left any dead anywhere on islands we invaded during the Pacific war, even though many were interred on such islands temporarily. (Phillippines, Okinawa? Now that I think about it I realize I don't know for sure).
If we ever withdraw completely from ROK we ought to disinter them and bring the remains home (same for the allies). I think I remember reading about how the graves of French war dead in South Vietnam were bulldozed after the North Vietnamese conquest in 1975.
I was part of 4th Quartermaster Detachment stationed in Pusan, and for two years I helped organize the annual U.N Memorial Ceremony at the U.N Cemetary there. It was always a solemn occassion…our firing squad went to great lengths to practice. The local ROK divisional commander would attend, along with many other local dignitaries. Its hard for me to believe that Koreans would go so far as to desecrate the graves of our fallen soldiers. I remember one touching momento a family had left when they had visited their father who was actually buried in Korea (this young man was a New Zealand Captain when he died). They never forgot the sacrifice he made for that country and left him buried there. I feel if this keeps up, USFK will disappear in the next 20 years.
J. Ray:
I don't think any graves were desecrated per se. It seems to me that the lawn in front of the memorial was vandalized. Grave desecration is a totally different thing entirely. Vandalizing a memorial, though — even the parkway — is still pretty bad and low in my opinion.
H. Kim, I think that's splitting hairs. Its a desecration.
It is really galling that S. Koreans are attacking the very people that made their peace and prosperity possible.
You see protestors drive up to their anti-U.S. rallies in BMWs, shouting slogans while carrying Louis Vuitton backpacks.
Disrespecting the soldiers that provided the defensive shield under which S. Korea had the luxury of becoming a modern country is truly deplorable, and is an enormous loss of face and dignity for the Korean people. I think the only option for the U.S. is to salute smartly, pull up stakes, and say, "You're on you're own."
Geostrategically speaking, Korea as a foothold into Asia is not as critical as it once was, and there are other ways of planning for contingencies if it truly becomes a "dagger pointed at the heart of Japan." The ROK army is more than capable of standing on its own two feet.
How short our memories are! I lived near Yongsan for seventeen years, and have only this to say: "Be careful what you wish for, S. Korea. It might come true."
So how about I vandelize your Family's grave sites and call it a sacred act of protest! Then How Would Your Feelings Vary??? I Think You Would Be Singing A Different Tune!
Cowards!
Please, it's not all the Koreans. It really is a minority.
But don't forget the following:
1. South Korea contributed enormously during the Vietnam War. Quarter million South Korean soldiers rotated through Vietnam.
2. US forces in S Korea aren't there just to counter N Korea. No matter what anyone says, it's not just to counter N Korea. Look at the map.
All in all, as a person of Korean ancestry, I'm eternally grateful.
BTW, look how the last presidential election in S Korea kicked the previous ruling party (one that produced Kim, Dae-Jung and Roh Moo-Hyun) out of the Blue House and elected conservative/pro-US President Lee into power.