Overview
- The new memorial at Gwanghwamun Square honors South Korea and 22 nations that fought under the U.N. flag during the 1950–53 Korean War.
- Twenty-three stone sculptures stand 6.25 meters tall in a rifle-salute form, beam light at night, and sit alongside an underground media show on postwar recovery.
- Visitor programming now includes nightly illumination from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at 30-minute intervals and guided tours offered 12 times a day from Tuesday through Sunday in Korean and English by online reservation.
- Diplomats from the 22 countries joined war veterans at the unveiling, where the city presented the site as a space for gratitude and learning.
- Civic groups question the fit for a square used for protests and tourism, with some critics highlighting the honor-guard posture and the location across from the U.S. embassy as signs of militarism, while Mayor Oh Se-hoon defended the site and noted he led the project during his reelection bid.