Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

A token of friendship discovered after 60 years ... Kwanin Middle School

U.S. soldiers donated during the 6·25 Korean War
Built Gapyong High School and supported a scholarship up to now

Newly-assigned principal of Kwanin Middle and High School, Han Byeong-Heon
The fruit of his hard work to take back school history
Received the U.S. 40th Division’s gratitude in 1955

A case of beautiful friendship between Korea and the U.S. has been discovered. It is a story of the U.S. 40th Division’s love for Korea, demonstrated through  Gapyong High School, which they built during the 6·25 Korean War, and a scholarship they have been supporting since then. The U.S. soldiers of the 40th Division raised funds to build Gaisa High School, the present Gapyong High School, and it was found out they established Kwanin Middle School in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do, on April 27, 1955, as part of rehabilitation work after the ceasefire.

It was made public with the effort of the principal of Kwanin Middle and High School, Pochen, Han Byeong-Heon. He started his new post as a principal in Kwanin Middle and High School in March 2014, after his principal period at Gapyong High School, and he noticed that the early building of Kwanin was similar to Gapyong. This idea led him to dig out the truth. After making inquiries, he finally found the first graduate of Kwanin Middle School, Mr. Hong Dae-Yong, 77, and secured testimony that the U.S. Army built public offices and main buildings through rehabilitation work after the ceasefire. Hence, he cross-checked Mr. Hong’s word with a 1950s newspaper that he brought when he visited the 40th Division during his period at Gapyong High School. The newspaper said that the 40th and 3rd Divisions created Sunburst Village in the Kwanin area. The symbol of the 40th Division is the “Sun”. And, since Kwanin High School was additionally built, it has been taken its present form as Kwanin Middle and High School.

Principal Han decided to invite war veterans of the U.S. 40th Division to a graduation ceremony to be held on 5th of the next month for the 60th anniversary of the middle school to let students know the proud history of the school. He sent an email to the consul in LA, Park Shin-Hwan, and the president of the U.S. 40th Division’s war veterans society, Brent Jett, to formally ask them to attend the graduation ceremony. He also notified the Ministry of Patriots-Veterans of this news and exacted a promise to provide necessary support.

This year’s graduation ceremony of Kwanin Middle and High School is thus likely to have a deeper meaning since the U.S. 40th Division’s war veterans and their descendants, who visit Korea to attend the graduation ceremony of Gapyong school every year, are going to attend that of Kwanin this year. They will deliver a leadership award and scholarships to Kwanin students  like they do at Gapyong school.

Principal Han said, “I expect that the U.S. war veterans will make a great contribution to planting an upright view of country as well as pride in school in the students’ minds.”

By Yeong-Sun, Lee < ys119@dema.mil.kr >
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