United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea

Rows of low headstones line the lawns of Nam-gu in Busan, and above them fly the flags of twenty-two nations. The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK) is the only UN cemetery in the world, the resting place of about 2,300 service members from eleven countries who died in the Korean War.

History: a cemetery begun during the war

The UN Command started building a cemetery for its war dead here on 18 January 1951 and finished it that April. Remains temporarily buried in places such as Kaesong, Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, Miryang and Masan were then brought here. Between 1951 and 1954 about 11,000 soldiers lay here, but all the dead of Belgium, Colombia, Ethiopia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Philippines and Thailand, along with some from other nations, were later repatriated.

In 1955 the National Assembly of Korea resolved to donate the land to the United Nations in perpetuity, and on 15 December that year the UN General Assembly decided to maintain the cemetery permanently. Since 1974 it has been run by an international commission of the 11 countries whose soldiers are buried here. It became a Registered Cultural Heritage site in 2007, and in 2001 its Korean name changed from "cemetery" to "park".

What to see

• The main burial area: sections for the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, France and the United States. The UK has the most graves (892), followed by Türkiye (462), Canada (382) and Australia (281).
• The symbolic area: the flags of the 22 nations that sent troops or aid, plus the Korean and UN flags, fly all year. Visitors can lay flowers at the stand in front of the UN flag.
• The Wall of Remembrance: built in 2006, its black panels list the names of 40,896 UN soldiers killed or missing, by country. Names of those buried here carry a ◇ mark.
• The Unknown Soldiers' Pathway: a water channel of 11 steps running south from the UN Monument, built in 2008.
• The main gate and the Memorial Chapel: both designed by the architect Kim Chung-up. The chapel, built in 1964, shows a 12-minute documentary on the war and the cemetery in several languages, including English.
• The Memorial Hall: built in 1968, it displays wartime photographs and memorabilia of the UN forces.

More memorials to look for

• Commonwealth Memorial: erected by the British government in 1965, it bears the names of 392 soldiers from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa whose remains were never found.
• Canadian memorial statue: unveiled in 2001. The 21 maple leaves and rose of Sharon flowers held by a Korean boy and girl stand for the 21 Canadian soldiers still missing.
• UN Forces Monument: built by the Korean government in 1978, its walls list each country's contribution and number of dead. Since 2007 its interior has housed a small exhibition on those buried here.
• Veterans' section: since 2015, UN veterans who died after the war can also be buried here, in date order rather than by nationality.

The grounds cover about 133,700 m², and some 10,000 trees of around 80 species change the scenery with the seasons. Kim Chung-up, who designed the main gate, recalled that UN Secretary-General U Thant called it the most beautiful of all UN-related buildings.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: open every day and free of charge. May–September 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:45), October–April 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:45).
• Dress and etiquette: visitors in slippers or flip-flops, tight sportswear or revealing clothes may be refused entry. Food and drinks may not be brought in, and please keep off the grass.
• Getting there: about 15 minutes on foot from Daeyeon Station, Exit 3 on subway Line 2. From Busan Station take bus 134.
• Parking: free for 90 minutes for cars with up to nine seats.
• Guided tours: groups of 20 or more can book a free guided visit (about 1 hour) on the official website.
• Time: 60–90 minutes is enough for the graves and the halls. The "Turn Toward Busan" remembrance ceremony is held every November, and UN Day is marked in October.