Preserving the UN Memorial Cemetery’s balance between remembrance and public space

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Suh Jeong-in

The author is the head of the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea and a former ambassador to the Mission of the Republic of Korea to Asean.

Located in the Daeyeon-dong area of Nam District, Busan, the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea was established in January 1951 by the United Nations Command during the height of the 1950-53 Korean War to bury fallen service members. In 1955, after Korea’s National Assembly decided to donate the cemetery site, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution placing the cemetery under permanent UN management.

As the UN Memorial Cemetery marks its 75th anniversary and Korea observes its annual month of remembrance and patriotism, it is worth reflecting on what kind of space this unique site should become in the years ahead.

The cemetery is more than a burial ground. It is both a repository of history and a valuable urban green space woven into the daily lives of Busan’s 3.24 million residents. Last year, approximately 470,000 people visited the site. Through the end of March this year, visitor numbers had already reached 120,000, a 50 percent increase from the same period a year earlier, putting the cemetery on track to surpass 600,000 visitors by the year’s end.

The question is how far such a place should be opened to the public while preserving the solemnity of its mission.

The future of the UN Memorial Cemetery should be guided by three principles.

First, the cemetery must remain, above all else, a place of remembrance. It is the resting place of 2,339 service members from 14 countries who sacrificed their youth and lives in defense of Korea’s freedom and peace.

For that reason, management principles should remain consistent with those of major international military cemeteries such as the Arlington National Cemetery in the United States and the Normandy American Cemetery in France. Dignity and solemnity must be preserved. Access to lawns should continue to be primarily for memorial and visitation purposes, while excessive noise and recreational activities should be limited.

The significance of the cemetery has not diminished with time. Since 2015, 37 Korean War veterans who died in their home countries have been reinterred at the cemetery. Just last month, one Dutch veteran and two French veterans returned to rest beside their comrades.

Since 2017, the annual Turn Toward Busan ceremony has been held every Nov. 11. At 11 a.m., people around the world are invited to observe one minute of silence facing Busan, where the cemetery is located, to honor those who fought in the Korean War.

Veterans and bereaved families continue to travel long distances to revisit the cemetery, and some veterans choose it as their final resting place. They do so because the site retains the dignity expected of a memorial space and because Korea’s government and citizens continue to remember their sacrifice and service.

At the same time, selected green areas may be used in ways that are more accessible to the public. People can walk quietly through nature, students can participate in educational forest programs and international visitors can experience Busan’s identity as a global city committed to peace.

Such activities, however, should be carefully aligned with the character of the site. Rather than functioning as a picnic destination or venue for commercial festivals, the cemetery is better suited to small concerts with commemorative themes, lectures on peace and history and ecological education programs that reinforce its purpose while maintaining its dignity.

Second, it is important to distinguish between different types of events.

Memorial ceremonies should continue to be held near the principal cemetery grounds and symbolic areas where the flags of the United Nations and 24 nations are displayed. Cultural events, by contrast, could be considered in green spaces or near the UN Forces Monument, provided they take forms consistent with remembrance and reflection.

Decisions regarding such matters are made by the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea International Management Committee, an international body composed of representatives from 11 countries. The committee approaches questions about what should and should not be permitted within the cemetery with great sensitivity and caution.

Ultimately, the guiding principle is simple: Nothing that occurs within the cemetery should trivialize death or sacrifice.

Third, attention must be given to the future of landscape management and operations.

Around the world, parks and memorial sites are increasingly adopting technologies such as drones, AI and humanoid robots to improve efficiency and safety. The UN Memorial Cemetery may also find growing value in such tools as it manages extensive lawns and trees, monitors plant diseases and pests, conducts nighttime patrols and addresses visitor safety during periods of extreme summer heat.

The ideal future is not one in which technology replaces people but one in which technology and human stewardship co-exist. Technology can enhance efficiency, but meaning must remain in human hands.

The UN Memorial Cemetery should continue strengthening its status as a rare and distinctive model of a sacred UN memorial cemetery. At the same time, it can serve as a place where the values of peace become part of everyday life, allowing the living and the dead to co-exist in a shared space of reflection.

By preserving and elevating the dignity of this unique site, Korea can ensure that the UN Memorial Cemetery remains unlike any other place in the world. In doing so, it will offer Busan a distinctive identity — one shaped not by commerce or spectacle, but by memory, gratitude and peace.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.