Police Heroism Against Enemy Forces, at the 'Haman Police Victory Memorial Hall'

Gyeongnam Police Agency Holds Memorial Hall Completion Ceremony

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency held a completion ceremony for the ‘Haman Police Victory Memorial Hall’ at 2 p.m. on the 23rd.

According to the provincial police agency, the Victory Memorial Hall is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to highlighting the police’s contributions during the Korean War. It was built next to the 6.25 War Police Victory Monument in Guhaeri, Daesan-myeon, Haman-gun, covering a total area of 99.39㎡.

Led by Kim Eul-no, an advisor of the 6.25 Korean War Police Veterans Association who participated in the Daesan District Battle (Guhaegoji) as a member of the Sancheong Police Station, the Gyeongnam Police Agency, Haman County, and Haman Police Station joined forces to establish the memorial.

A total project cost of 1.163 billion KRW was invested for land acquisition and construction, with groundbreaking taking place on July 13, 2022.

Gyeongnam Haman Police Victory Memorial Hall. [Photo by Gyeongnam Police Agency]

The completion ceremony was attended by about 300 people, including Kim Byung-su, Chief of Gyeongnam Police Agency; Choi Jong-moon, Planning Director of Police Personnel at the National Police Agency; Choi Man-rim, Deputy Governor of Gyeongnam Province; Jo Geun-je, Mayor of Haman County; Kim Jong-sul, Director of the Eastern Gyeongnam Veterans Affairs Office; Kim Yong-in, President of the Korea Veterans Association; Kim Eul-no, Advisor of the 6.25 Korean War Police Veterans Association, and Chairman Oh Jeong-tak; Han Chun-do, President of the Gyeongnam Veterans Association; and Jo Moon-gyu, President of the Haman Veterans Association.

The memorial exhibits include ▲ the outbreak and progress of the Korean War ▲ introduction to the Haman District Battles such as the defense battles of the Northwest Mountain District and Daesan District ▲ the activities of participating police officers and their memoirs ▲ and interview videos.

Special exhibits include nine items owned by the provincial police agency, such as the ‘List of Recipients of the United Nations Service Medal’ awarded by the UN Command in 1957 to police officers who served under the UN forces during the Korean War, and the ‘Memoirs of the late Sergeant Kim Kyung-deok,’ who served at the Daesan Police Substation of Haman Police Station from August to September 1950 and participated in the Guhaegoji and Chilwon area battles.

A commendation certificate awarded to Teacher Kim Eul-no for combat merit (left) and a photo showing police officers who participated in the Korean War.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Police Agency]

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, sent a congratulatory message saying, “The Haman Police Victory Memorial Hall will become a space of remembrance that honors the noble lives and spirit of the patriotic police in daily life, as well as a living site for historical education. We will strive to build a trusted and safe community in line with the patriotic spirit shown by our predecessors.”

A provincial police agency official said, “During the Korean War, the police were active nationwide under the name of the Hwarang Unit. In the Haman Defense Battle, they risked their lives to defend the Haman area alongside the U.S. 25th Infantry Division against the North Korean army.”

He added, “As the U.S. 25th Infantry Division returned home and the police veterans who participated in the battles passed away one by one, their contributions were not properly recognized for a long time. This memorial will serve as a place to reflect on the unknown police activities and the meaning of patriotic spirit in the Haman Defense Battle.”

The provincial police agency plans to add the Haman Police Victory Memorial Hall to the currently operated Police History Pilgrimage Trail and have new police officers visit the memorial upon appointment to engrave the spirit of sacrifice and contributions of the police veterans.

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