Memorial for 2 girls killed by US armored vehicle to be replaced by peace park

The bereaved family members of two schoolgirls who were killed by a US armored vehicle in 2002 hold a ceremony at the memorial for the two girls in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, on June 4. The memorial has been slotted to be moved to a different location, and a peace park will be built in its place.

Donations being gathered for new memorial

A memorial that was erected by the US army in memory of Shin Hyo-sun and Shim Mi-seon, two schoolgirls who were run over by a US military armored vehicle in 2002, will be moved from the site of the accident, and a peace park will be built in its place. It’s been 17 years since the two girls were killed.

On June 4, a committee established by some 40 NGOs to build a peace park for the two girls held a ceremony at the site of the accident, in Gwangjeok Township, Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. The ceremony, which was held for the girls prior to the memorial’s relocation, was attended by the girls’ family members, NGO members, and religious figures.

On June 13, when an event will be held marking the 17th anniversary of the accident, the committee will hold a ground-breaking here for the peace park and will be bringing in a civilian memorial called “The Girls’ Dream,” which was built in 2012 with money donated from the Korean public. The civilian memorial consists of a pair of statues, measuring 2.4m tall and 1.8m across, that have been transported by truck to each memorial service over the past seven years given their lack of a permanent home. An access road to the park and a memorial wall will go up in the current location of the US army memorial, which will be moved to the entrance of the peace park.

A memorial for two schoolgirls who were fatally run over by a US armored vehicle in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, in 2002.

In May 2009 and January 2018, NGOs asked the commander of the 8th US Army to move the US army memorial inside the base of the 2nd Infantry Division to make room for the civilian memorial. The commander responded that, since the memorial had been donated by the US government to the bereaved family members, decisions about its relocation or removal should be made by the South Korean government and the owners of the memorial. While the family members had opposed the relocation of the US army memorial, they allowed it to be moved to a different part of the site.

After raising funds from the public to build a peace park, the committee bought 366m² of land at the site of the accident September 2017 and were given the 115m² lot occupied by the US army memorial. But the committee is still raising funds and estimated that it needs an additional 150 million won (US$127,064). (Donations are being accepted at Kookmin Bank 011201-04-185740.)

Hyo-sun and Mi-seon, in their second year of middle school, were on their way to a friend’s birthday party on June 13, 2002, when they were fatally struck by a US armored vehicle that was returning to base after a drill. When a US military tribunal exonerated the soldiers that had been driving the armored vehicle, candlelit vigils were held around the country in protest.

“The Hyo-sun and Miseon incident won’t end as long as South Korea’s sovereignty is being infringed by its alliance with the US. The construction of the peace park is a new beginning for addressing unresolved issues, such as conducting a thorough investigation,” said Park Seok-bun, chair of the executive committee.

By Park Kyung-man, North Gyeonggi correspondent

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