Res. No. 279

Resolution calling on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, legislation declaring April 26 annually as Korean War Veterans and Korean Defense Veterans Recognition Day to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of those who served

By Council Members Holden, Paladino, Gennaro, Schulman, Lee, Won, Marmorato and Ariola

Whereas, After World War II, the Korean Peninsula was split into a Soviet-backed government in the North and a United States (U.S.)-backed government in the South; and

Whereas, On June 25, 1950, North Korean soldiers attacked along the 38th parallel, which divided the North and South, and invaded South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea; and

Whereas, After the attack was condemned by the United Nations (UN) Security Council, members of the U.S. Armed Forces served with the forces of the Republic of Korea and 20 allied nations under the UN Command; and

Whereas, During the three-year war, more than 5 million U.S. servicemembers supported the war effort, with almost 1.8 million of them fighting on Korean soil in some of the most brutal wartime conditions ever recorded; and

Whereas, The U.S. Armed Forces sustained 36,574 in-theater deaths, including 2,373 servicemembers from New York State (NYS), and brought back another 103,284 wounded servicemembers; and

Whereas, On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement brought an end to armed conflict through a military truce rather than a formal peace treaty, separating the two parts of the Korean Peninsula by a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which still exists today; and

Whereas, U.S. servicemembers have been stationed in South Korea ever since the end of the war in order to maintain peace and freedom for those living in the Republic of Korea; and

Whereas, Currently, there are approximately 28,500 U.S. servicemembers stationed in South Korea, mostly at Camp Humphreys, which is the largest U.S. overseas military base; and

Whereas, These U.S. servicemembers who have safeguarded the Republic of Korea during peacetime, upon discharge, join the ranks of Veterans known as Korean Defense Veterans; and

Whereas, The NYS Assembly and Senate passed resolutions in April 2023 to “celebrat[e] the courage and bravery of New York State’s Korean War Veterans and recognize[e] the men and women who served with dignity and honor during this historic time period at the Senate’s Inaugural Korean War Veteran Celebration on April 26, 2023”; and

Whereas, According to the NYS resolutions, “From the ashes of war and the sharing of spilled blood on the battlefield, the United States and the Republic of Korea have continuously stood shoulder-to-shoulder to promote and defend international peace and security, economic prosperity, human rights, and the rule of law both on the Korean Peninsula and beyond”; and

Whereas, New York City (NCY) honors Korean War Veterans with the New York Korean War Veterans Memorial, which was designed by artist Mac Adams and dedicated in 1991; and

Whereas, The NYC monument displays a 15-foot black granite slab with a cut-out in the shape of a soldier, symbolizing loss and death; and

Whereas, Citizens of the U.S. and the Republic of Korea owe a continuing debt of gratitude to all U.S. Veterans who served on Korean soil during wartime and during the ensuing years in keeping a fragile peace; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, legislation declaring April 26 annually as Korean War Veterans and Korean Defense Veterans Recognition Day to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of those who served.

LS #15372 and #15753

3/7/2024

RHP