About

The Korean War Veterans Memorial resides on the National Mall, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool. It is dedicated to the armed forces that served and sacrificed during the Korean War. The memorial has walls 164 feet long and eight inches thick, and from a bird’s eye view, the memorial appears as an isosceles triangle with the tip intersecting a circle over a pool of water. Images of troops moving by sea, land and air are sandblasted onto the surface of the wall, while a squadron of 19 stainless steel figures, including members from each branch of the armed forces, are situated in the center of the memorial. It also features a United Nations Wall, which lists all 22 members of the U.N. that contributed to the war efforts, as well as a granite wall that states “Freedom Is Not Free.” Finally, there is the Pool of Remembrance, which has inscriptions that list the number of soldiers killed, wounded, missing in action and held as prisoners of war. According to the National Park Service, the memorial receives roughly 3.5 million visitors per year.

History

The U.S. Congress approved the construction of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in 1986. Design and construction were managed by the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board and the American Battle Monuments Commission. Cooper-Lecky Architects were responsible for the design itself, as they oversaw collaboration between several designers. The most notable of these designers was Frank Gaylord, who was responsible for the 19 stainless steel statues. The memorial broke ground on June 14, 1992 and it was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42-year anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.

Experience

The Korean War Veterans Memorial is free and open to the public 24 hours a day. Park Rangers are on duty to answer questions from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily. Interpretive programs are provided every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. Photography is permitted, but filming within the memorial must be done with a handheld camera— equipment set up is not allowed. Any footage taken must credit the artist.