Many nations contributed troops to the Korean War but few fought as hard as the soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Regiment commanded by Korean War Hero Lieutenant Colonel J.R. Stone. This regiment’s most famous fight during the Korean War was without a doubt the Battle of the Kapyong which is fittingly enough is the location of the official Canadian Korean War Memorial that honors all the soldiers from the “Great White North” that fought in the Korean War:

The Canadian forces that fought in the war are also honored at the British Commonwealth Memorial in the middle of the city of Kapyong since the Canadian forces fell under the command of the British during the war, but this memorial is strictly in honor of just the Canadian forces during the war.

Here is how the plaque posted at the entrance describes the memorial:

Korean War Monument to the Canadian Armed Forces

This monument, located at 207-4 Igokri. Puk-myeon, Gapyeong-gun Gyeonggi-do Province, was erected by Gapyeong-gun, County on December 30, 1983 to replace an earlier monument erected by the U. N. Korean War Allies monument citizens of Gapyeong County in November 1975. The 6.5-meter monument rests on a 70-centimeter foundation in a 1,688 - sqaremeter site. The design of the monument is taken from the Canadian flag. It commemorates the victory of the Canadian troops in the Battle of Gapyeong on April 24 and 25, 1951.

When the Korean War began with a surprise attack on the South by Communist North Korea, Canada dispatched its forces to help defend the freedom of Korea and the peace of the world. The Canadian troops arrived in Korea in August 1950 and engaged in mopping up operations in the Samnyangjin area. They then moved north to fight in the Battle of Gapyeong and in other battles, advancing eight kilometers north of the 38th parallel. Securing a position at the confluence of the Han-gang and Imjim-gang Rivers, the Canadian troops occupied a high point north of Kaesong and conducted more than 1,000 reconnaissance operations.

The memorial is quite large and fairly maintained. It was constructed in 1983 by the Korean War Allies Association and the citizens of Kapyong county and is actually one of the nicer Korean War memorials I have seen in Korea.

Besides the main memorial other smaller memorials have been also constructed on the grounds by various veterans groups describing the contributions of the Canadian Forces during the Korean War:

There was also plenty of wreaths honoring the Canadian veterans left at the memorial which was good to see Canadians remembering the sacrifices of their veterans during the war:

Of course this memorial would not be complete without a plaque recognizing Canada’s most prestigious unit from the war, the 2nd Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry:

The memorial included a tactical map of the Canadian positions during the battle:

Today these Canadian positions depicted on the memorial can be seen right behind the location of the memorial:

The ridgeline of mountains easily seen behind the memorial is where Lieutenant Colonel J.R. Stone and his men made their famous stand against the vastly superior Chinese force at Hill 677:

The Canadians had 10 soldiers killed during the Battle of the Kapyong while the Chinese suffered an estimated 1,000 soldiers killed by the combined Canadian, Australian, British, New Zealand, and American defense of this strategically important valley. Overall during the war the Canadians suffered 516 soldiers killed and 1,255 more wounded fighting in the defense of freedom in South Korea.

Directions:

Reaching the memorial can be a bit difficult if you are not familiar with getting around in Korea. Buses to the Gapyeong run regularly from the Dong-Seoul bus terminal. A complete bus schedule can be seen here. I like getting around Korea by train which there is train service to Gapyeong. Here is a complete schedule of the trains that run nearly every hour to the city. Once in Gapyeong the easiest way to get to the memorial is to take a taxi though there are local buses that run in the area as well.

By far the easiest way to get to the memorial is if you have your own car. Gapyeong is an easy drive from Seoul by going east on Highway 46 to Chuncheon. Just before Chuncheon the highway passes through Gapyeong. In Gapyeong you need to turn left on to Highway 75 which takes you up the scenic Gapyeong Valley and passes right by the Canadian Korean War Memorial.

Popularity: 2%