"Thank You America!" billboard advertisements installed on major highways across six U.S. cities. The America-Korea Friendship Society (AKFS) has been running this campaign for 30 years. [Photo courtesy of AKFS]In commemoration of the Korean War Armistice, the America-Korea Friendship Society (AKFS, President Sun-Keun Park) has once again launched its "Thank You America!" billboard advertising campaign across major highways in six cities nationwide.

Since 1996, AKFS has installed these billboards in major U.S. cities to honor the dedication and sacrifice of U.S. troops who were deployed to defend South Korea during the Korean War and to express heartfelt gratitude. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the campaign.

Starting Monday, July 20, the billboard advertisements will be displayed for two to four weeks, depending on the location, along major highways in six cities: Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles.

AKFS President Sun-Keun Park, who has personally funded the advertising costs since 1996, stated, "With the sponsorship from Hyundai Motor Group, we have been able to double the number of people viewing our advertisements." He added, "Approximately 1.5 million vehicles will pass by our message of gratitude on U.S. highways every day."

In a press release, the society stated, "The United States made sacrifices to protect the people of Korea and defend their freedom. Koreans say, ‘Thank You America!’"

President Park explained, "The sacrifice of U.S. troops in the Korean War successfully fulfilled the mission of saving half of the Korean Peninsula from North Korean communists. As a result, 50 million Koreans regained their freedom and their country. However, the price was too high. During the three-year war from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953, 36,568 U.S. soldiers were killed and 103,284 were wounded."

Meanwhile, the America-Korea Friendship Society holds a memorial ceremony every year around July 27, the anniversary of the armistice, to lay wreaths in honor of the fallen. This year's event will take place on Friday, July 24, at 10:30 a.m. at the Payne-Corley House in Duluth, Georgia.

Attendees at the event will include surviving Korean War veterans, representatives from the Korean Consulate General in Atlanta, the Georgia Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Service, the Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard, members of the Korea Defense Veterans Association, leaders of various Korean-American community organizations in the Southeast, and a member of the AKFS Board of Directors who is a former commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command. They will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the fallen.

Frank Blake, Chairman of the AKFS Board of Directors, stated, "The people of South Korea, having endured the pain of war, succeeded in industrialization, rebuilt their nation, and have grown into one of the world's top ten wealthiest countries. The miracle achieved by Korea, which lacked natural resources, has become a role model for developing nations, and Korea has now become an ironclad ally of the United States, contributing to the maintenance of global peace and order. Koreans remember that the blood and love shed by the United States played a part in this success. Though it is often called the 'forgotten war,' there is not a single Korean who has forgotten the war or the sacrifices made by the U.S. military."

U.S. NNP = Reporter Sung-Goo Hong / Special Correspondent for NNP info@newsandpost.com