YONG Taek Lee, South Korea’s honorary director of Public Administration and chairman of the Memorial Service Association for the Deceased Compatriots Overseas, made his 46th visit to the Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi on Friday to honor and offer prayers for the Koreans who perished on Saipan during World War II.
He arrived on island with Dae Soon Lee, South Korea’s first minister of the Ministry of Communications, and other Korean officials.
On Friday, they were joined by Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang and members of Saipan’s Korean community at a memorial service in Marpi that started at 10 a.m.
The island’s Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi was built in 1981 in memory of the nearly 1,000 Koreans who died on Saipan during World War II. Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as part of the Empire of Japan which also administered the Northern Marianas from 1914 to 1944.
Yong Taek Lee thanked the Saipan mayor for joining the Korean community “in this meaningful event.”
“Thank you very much to everyone who attended today’s memorial service,” Yong Taek Lee said. “Since I first discovered the remains of Koreans…I have been hosting this Saipan event for 46 years. We will continue to work hard to commemorate the spirits of our ancestors who sacrificed their lives during the war. I [also] wish Saipan’s continued success and steady Korean-Saipan economic relations,” Yong Taek Lee added.
For his part, Dae Soon Lee said: “Thank you very much for inviting us to this meaningful event. Saipan has a close history with Korea, so it is a place that I am attached to.”
He also expressed his deepest gratitude to Kim Hong-gyun, the chairman of the Saipan Korean Cultural Center, and Yong-Taek Lee for hosting the event for 46 years now.
Mayor Apatang told the Korean visitors that after two super typhoons and “the terrible” Covid-19 pandemic, things are now “pretty much getting back to normal on this island.”
He added, “This is a great sign for us…and I am very happy to welcome you to our island. I hope that we will continue to see you. Visit us again, bring the rest of your family, invite the rest of your friends in Korea and come and join us on this beautiful island.”
Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, center, joins South Korea Public Administration honorary director and Memorial Service Association for the Deceased Compatriots Overseas chairman, Yong Taek Lee, second right, seated, and South Korea’s first minister of the Ministry of Communications, Dae Soon Lee, second left, seated, during a memorial service at the Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi on Friday. With them are Korean Cultural Center Chairman Kim Hong Gyun, second left, second row, and other members of the Korean community of Saipan.
Yong Taek Lee, South Korea Public Administration honorary director and Memorial Service Association for the Deceased Compatriots Overseas chairman, offers prayer at the Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi on Friday. Also in photo are Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, right, Korean Cultural Center chairman Kim Hong Gyun, left, and other visitors.
South Korea’s first minister of the Ministry of Communications, Dae Soon Lee, delivers his remarks at the Korean Peace Memorial in Marpi on Friday.
