SK to Erect Memorial for 'Colonel Weber,' Symbol of the Korea-US Alliance

SK Group announced on the 22nd that it will support the construction of a memorial monument honoring the late Colonel William E. Weber and the late General John Singlaub, heroes of the Korean War and symbols of the Korea-US alliance, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US alliance.

This project is being carried out jointly with the Korea-US Alliance Foundation, a foundation dedicated to honoring veterans from both countries and strengthening the Korea-US alliance. SK is sponsoring the cost of creating the sculpture, while the foundation is responsible for design and production. The memorial monument is scheduled to be erected around October this year next to the US military Korean War Memorial at Paju Peace Nuri Park.

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group attended the completion ceremony of the Korean War Fallen Soldiers' "Memorial Wall" held on July 27 last year at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Washington D.C., USA. He met with the late Annal Weber, wife of the late Colonel William Weber, a symbol of the Korea-US alliance, to express his condolences. Photo by SK

SK and the foundation plan to use this site to record the dedication of war heroes who laid the foundation for Korea’s growth and to educate future generations about the values of security and freedom.

Colonel Weber served as an airborne officer during the Korean War, participating in the Incheon Landing Operation and the Seoul Liberation Operation, but suffered severe injuries, losing his right arm and right leg in the Battle of Wonju. Overcoming his serious disabilities, he devoted his life to re-illuminating the Korean War, which was known as the “Forgotten War” in the US, by leading the establishment of the Korean War Veterans Memorial “The 19th Infantry Regiment Monument” and the “Wall of Remembrance” engraved with the names of the fallen in Washington D.C.

General Singlaub, a Korean War veteran, was a symbolic figure who contributed to the Korea-US alliance, notably strongly opposing the US administration’s 1977 decision to withdraw US forces from South Korea. Both heroes passed away last year and rest at Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.

An SK official stated, “This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US alliance and the 70th anniversary of SK’s founding. It was because of the sacrifices of veterans and the strong Korea-US alliance that companies like SK could emerge from the ruins of war, and Korea could rise to become one of the world’s top ten economies.”

SK’s friendly activities with the US have continued for over half a century. The late SK Chairman Chey Jong-hyun realized during his studies in the US in the 1950s that “nurturing talent” was the path to becoming a great power, and subsequently supported outstanding students to study at prestigious educational institutions in the US. SK also provided Korean cultural experience programs to American youth. For these contributions, in 1998, the Korea Society, a Korea-US friendship association, awarded him the Van Fleet Award, given to those who have contributed to Korea-US relations.

SK Chairman Chey Tae-won has expanded overseas scholarship programs while leading the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies and received the same award in 2017 for his contributions to economic cooperation between Korea and the US. This marked the first time a father and son both received the Van Fleet Award.

Furthermore, SK Group and Chairman Chey Tae-won have continued their connection with Colonel Weber’s family. In May 2021, SK became the first Korean company to donate $1 million (approximately 1.3 billion KRW) to the construction of the “Wall of Remembrance,” which Colonel Weber dedicated his life to promoting. At the unveiling ceremony in July last year, Chairman Chey personally met with the late Mrs. Annalee Weber (who passed away in October last year), Colonel Weber’s wife, to express his gratitude and condolences.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.