UNMCK - UNITED NATIONS MEMORIAL CEMETERY IN KOREA

The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea is the only UN memorial cemetery in the world, where the brave soldiers, who sacrificed their lives for world peace and freedom, rest in peace.

The Parliament of Korea volunteered the current UNMCK ground for permanent use by the UN as a cemetery in August 1955 to honor the services and sacrifices made by the UN forces during the Korean War. The General Assembly accepted the proposal, and the UN Resolution#977(X) to establish the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea became effective in December of 1955.

Korea Parliament proposed to the government this site to be declared sacred.

The UNMCK had been managed by UNCURK until UNCURK was dissolved in 1974. Since then, the Commission for the UNMCK, consisting of 11 member nations, has been managing the UNMCK.

Brief History of the UNMCK

• Jan. 19, 1951 A UN Command cemetery is created for fallen UN troops in the Korean War
• Nov. 17, 1955 Korean Parliament proposes to the UN to accept the land for its perpetual use as a sacred UN memorial cemetery
• Dec. 15, 1955 UN General Assembly passes a resolution to manage the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea
• Nov. 06, 1959 Korea and UN sign the "Agreement between the United Nations and the Republic of Korea for the Establishment and Maintenance of the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea"
• Feb. 16, 1974 The UN transfers the management of the UNMCK to the Commission for the CUNMCK consisting of 11 member nations
• Oct. 24, 2007 The UNMCK is registered as a state-designated Cultural Heritage (No.359)

Change of the UNMCK's Korean Name

On March 30, its original Korean name, 재한유엔기념묘지 (jae.hahn.UN.ki.nyum.myo.ji), was changed to 재한유엔기념공원 (jae.hahn.UN.ki.nyum.gong.won) in order to bring the cemetery closer to the Korean public.