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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2023)
It Takes a Village Coming together to celebrate student and leadership achievements See Metro, page 6 PO QR code Volume LIII • Number 14 ‘City of Roses’ www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • August 02, 2023 Gov Tina Kotek and Publisher of the Portland Observer Newspaper, Mark Washington receives Peace Medals on behalf of honoring their fathers Jerry A. Kotek and Duane Washington from the honorable Seo, Eunji Consul General. Photos by Portland Observer Photographer, Zoe Holman-Kragero Committed to Cultural Diversity State Senator James Manning gives inspiring speech at the Koran War Commemoration event. Celebrating The 70th Korean War Armistice Day Freedom is Not Free the history of Korea and the his- torical significance of the Korean War. This event was to commem- orate the signing of the armistice to end the fighting of the Korean War and the 70th anniversary of Story by Shawntell Washington the alliance between the U.S. and On Saturday July 29th the mem- Republic of Korea, the event will bers from Portland and across the take place at Town Center Park. Pacific Northwest joined Gover- There were Sixty thousand Ore- nor Tina Kotek along with other gonians that fought and made the leaders for a special Korean War noblest sacrifice in order to save Armistice Day, followed by the peace and freedom on the Korean opening of a new Korean War In- Peninsula, of those soldiers 287 terpretive Center. were killed. The Korean War Memorial Nine Korean War veterans were Foundation of Oregon established awarded the Korean Ambassador the Korean War Memorial Inter- for Peace medal. The 9 Ambassa- pretive Center in order to share dors for Peace Medals to receive their awards personally or by their family members were Keith Bend- er, Robert Blackwell, Thomas Fu- jii, John Lewis, Robert Lorenz, Ha- Sung Park, William Wright, Jerry A. Kotek and Duane Washington. The event included several speeches, a choir performance from the Oregon Elders Choir which was led by Sok-Tu Kim and many recognitions. Three words are of- ten used to succinctly describe the tight bond between the U.S. and South Korea: We go together! It represents durable partnership be- tween the two nations and a pledge to continue to stand together in the face of pressing challenges. Consulate General of the ROK in Seattle said in her speech “one presence has resisted progress over the last 70 years: North Korea’s threat to peace. The nuclear and missile ambitions of North Korea continue to pose a grave threat to the whole region of Northeast Asia. Peace cannot be attained through submission and capitu- lation, but kept through strength. Accordingly, our two presidents have agreed to the “Washington Declaration,” which strengthened extended deterrence and upgraded our alliance to a “nuclear-based alliance.” We must remember that “Freedom is not free.” Continued on Back
