Provost to return from South Korea with $25,000 for Korean war memorial at KU

LAWRENCE -- Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Shulenburger will return to Lawrence Saturday from South Korea with two checks totaling $25,000 for a University of Kansas memorial to people who were killed in the Korean War.

The gifts, which Shulenburger received during a weeklong visit to meet with donors and alumni in Japan and South Korea, were prompted by a $30,000 donation from Leawood businessman Yong L. Kim. His gift was announced this week during a visit with KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway.

The memorial, which could cost up to $300,000, will honor those who died in the Korean War and will include a tablet describing the war. About 60 alumni, students and faculty died in war, which lasted from 1950 to 1953. The memorial would be built on the hill above Potter Lake along KU's Memorial Drive, west of the Memorial Campanile.

KU's existing memorials include the Kansas Memorial Union and Memorial Stadium for World War I; the campanile for World War II; and the Vietnam Memorial.

The provost received $15,000 from representatives of five South Korean corporations -- Korea National Housing Corp.; Korea Land Corp.; Myung Sun Architects & Engineers; Eawes; and Agabang Co. Ltd. -- with leaders who are affiliated with the university, either as graduates, former exchange students or Fulbright scholars.The provost also met with members of the KU Korean Association, an alumni chapter in Seoul, and received $10,000.

The university has raised more than $60,000 for the Korean War memorial. KU Endowment and university officials will continue to raise money for the project. For more information about supporting the memorial, please contact Jerome Davies, vice president for development at KU Endowment, (785) 832-7460.

Kim, who was 12 years old in 1950 when military forces from North Korea crossed the border into the Republic of Korea, said he feels an obligation to honor the U.S. soldiers killed in the war. About 5,000 Koreans live in the Kansas City area and look forward to completion of the memorial, he said.

Kim is the founder and chairman of QMD International in Kansas City, Mo., an international trading company and manufacturer of steel components for household goods manufacturers. He also is chairman of Alterna-Med.com, an alternative health Web site.