A new generation is helping revive the forgotten legacy of Korean independence patriots buried in the United States.
A joint project led by the Korea Daily, Korean National Association Memorial Foundation (a nonprofit preserving Korean independence history), and Hwarang Youth Foundation, with support from Bank of Hope, launched its first event on May 24 at Rosedale Cemetery, near Koreatown, Los Angeles.
Opened in 1901, Rosedale is one of LA’s oldest cemeteries. According to ongoing research by the Los Angeles Korean American History Museum, 31 Korean independence patriots are buried there.
On the day of the event, 39 students from the Hwarang Youth Foundation located and visited 27 of the graves. The students paid silent tribute, cleaned the headstones by hand, and placed Taegukgi (the Korean national flag) beside each one.
Monthly Maintenance and Deeper Purpose
This initiative marks the beginning of a regular maintenance program. Moving forward, the graves will be cared for monthly in three-person teams formed by student volunteers…