The Dance of peace was performed during the Dedication Ceremony of the
Australian National Korean War Memorial on 18th April, 2000.
Photo (courtesy of John Lewis): The Dance of Peace, symbolising the effort of 21 nations during the
Korean War to preserve liberty was created and performed by Professor Choi Jun-Im of Dong Guk
University, Korea.
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General Paik, Sun Yup1 of the Republic of Korea visited Australia for the dedication
of the Memorial and on 19th April, 2000, General Paik hosted a dinner in Sydney -
for Korean Nationals who served during Korean War and now live in Australia and
for Australian veterans of that war.
In a speech given on behalf of all General Paik's dinner guests, Olwyn Green, after
thanking the General for his generous hospitality, commented on the unity that the
Korean War had created and how this had been reflected in the design of the National
Korean War Memorial:
"...The bond between our countries that began on the battlefield in 1950 has grown
into a familial bond. In a word, we have become family... .We fought together in the
Korean War to preserve liberty, which allows opportunity for free and original
expression. The exquisitely beautiful dance of peace, specially created for the
dedication ceremony at Canberra, and performed by a Korean professor, achieved
what only creative art can do: it appealed to the emotions and the imagination.
How could this dance fire people's aspiration and imagination - ours and all who
viewed it? It signified the relationship between our two peoples; it suggested that the
human potential could be devoted to creating rather than to destroying. The design of
the memorial also appeals to the imagination. It reflects a significant shift from
militarism to the contemplation of the unique, united effort of 21 nations and the
sacrifice of 339 Australians' lives to preserve liberty. The rocks from the battlefield
were thoughtfully incorporated in the design to symbolise the site of the war and the
considerable sacrifice of blood that was made on those rocks, on those hills in Korea."
1 General Paik's distinguished service is summed up in the following extract from the
jacket of his book in English "From Pusan to Panmunjorn" which has a foreward by
Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway and Gen. James A. Van Fleet, published in 1992 by
Brassey's, New York. General Paik was "the foremost ROK general of the Korean
War. Commander of the Republic Of Korea Army's 1st Division - the unit that seized
the centre of Pyongyang. One of the heroes of the defense of Pusan. Twice recipient
of his country's highest military award. The ROK Army's first four-star general... "
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