SAIPAN Mayor Ramon Blas “RB” Camacho and retired Police Officer Antonio Lim on Monday described the vandalism and theft incident at the Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi, where the bust of Korean war veteran Yong Taek Lee was stolen, as unacceptable and sad.
During the memorial service on Monday to honor the Koreans who perished on Saipan and Tinian during World War II, the island’s Korean community and visitors gathered for a ceremony next to the empty pedestal where Lee’s bust once stood.
“Look at this. What happened is unacceptable in this community,” said Camacho, the only CNMI official who attended the event.
“It’s disturbing, so I want to ask you, the members of the Korean community, to please join me in promoting a safe community,” the mayor said in his remarks.
He expressed his gratitude for being allowed to speak during the ceremony and also thanked the guests from Korea for visiting Saipan.
Retired Police Officer Antonio Lim, who has been a resident of Saipan since 1969, said, “It’s sad that the theft occurred just before the Korean community welcomes visitors each year to join them in a solemn ceremony to honor their fallen compatriots.”
Lim was one of the founders of the Korean Association of Saipan.
He noted that Lee never missed coming to Saipan for 47 years to participate in the memorial service.
Lee is South Korea’s honorary director of public administration and chair of the Memorial Service Association for the Deceased Compatriots Overseas.
Lee’s copper bust was reported missing, with a portion of it being recovered on Thursday at a recycling shop in Lower Base. Police are continuing their investigation, according to CNMI Korean Cultural Center Vice President Mountain Joo.
Retired Police Officer Antonio Lim gazes at the empty pedestal that once held the bust of Korean veteran Yong Taek Lee during a memorial service at the Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi on Monday.
Photos by Emmanuel T. Erediano
A member of the Saipan Dance Research Institute helps Saipan Mayor Ramon Blas “RB” Camacho into traditional Korean attire before the memorial service.
