- New monument celebrating the 120th anniversary of Korea’s first migrants to the United States and 20 years of friendship with sister city Honolulu -
- Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok says, “I hope our new sculpture can become a landmark for Koreans visiting Hawaii as well as second and third-generation immigrants across the US” -
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok celebrated 120 years of Korean immigration to the United States and 20 years of friendship between Incheon and Honolulu.
The Mayor visited Honolulu, Hawaii, Incheon’s sister city, on January 12 (local time) and met with Hawaii State Governor Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
<Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok meets with Hawaii Governor Josh Green>
The Mayor also attended the unveiling ceremony of a sister city sculpture at Pawa'a In-ha Park and a stele at the Honolulu Port Pier 7. Previously, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited Honolulu on December 13, 2002, to meet then Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, and agreed to exchange sculptures to commemorate the friendship between the two cities. Later on, both parties determined that a stele commemorating the historical significance of Pier 7 at Honolulu Port, where Korean immigrants first arrived, would also be a great addition to the legacy of Korean migrants in Hawaii.
<Unveiling ceremony of the new sister city sculpture celebrating 20 years of friendship between Incheon and Honolulu>
Incheon prepared a 1.5m-wide, 1.5m-long, and 3m-tall sculpture at Pawa'a In-ha Park themed “Beautiful friendship between two cities, heading into the future beyond 120 years.” It also built a stele measuring 0.7m-wide, 0.45m-long, and 1.3m-tall containing historical information on the arrival of Korean migrants from Jemulpo Port. At the top is an embossed image of the Gaelic, which sailed across the Pacific to bring the first batch of Koreans to Hawaii.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said at the event, “I look forward to building on the past 20 years of friendship between our two cities, and ensure 200 years of shared success going forward.” He added, “I hope our new sculpture can become a landmark for Koreans visiting Hawaii as well as second and third generation immigrants across the US.”
<Unveiling of the Honolulu Port Pier 7 stele commemorating the 120th anniversary of Korean immigration to Hawaii>
In addition, Mayor Yoo expressed his gratitude at a meeting with representatives of Korean organizations who helped Incheon win the bid to host the Overseas Koreans Agency.
Meanwhile, Hawaii is where the official migration of Koreans began - 121 migrants departed Jemulpo Port, Incheon, on December 22, 1902, and arrived at Pier 7 at Honolulu Port on January 13, 1903. A century later, Incheon signed a sister city agreement with Honolulu City on October 15, 2003.
