About Korean War Monument at Busan

The U.S. Korean War Monument at Busan, dedicated in 2013, honors American service members who fought in the Korean War.

Twenty-one UN member nations participated in the Korean War, helping to defend the Republic of Korea (ROK). The United Nations Command established its central cemetery in Busan, Korea (formerly Pusan) in mid-January 1951. It is the only UN memorial cemetery. The cemetery contains 2,300 graves of service members from 11 countries; 36 are from the United States. The United States contributed the greatest number of persons to the conflict, 1.7 million, of which 33,739 were battle deaths. Most were reinterred in the United States.

The inscription on the entry stone at the threshold of the monument reads:

This monument is to the American men
and women who gave their lives in defense of
the freedom of the Republic of Korea 1950-1953
Dedicated by the
American Battle Monuments Commission 2013

After World War II, Korea was divided into North (under Communist control) and South (the Republic of Korea) by the 38th Parallel.