The Korean Bell of Friendship

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This Series The Korean Bell of Friendship

Overlooking Coastal San Pedro just south of Palos Verdes is lovely green Angel’s Park adjacent to old Fort MacArthur. The southern point of the park is crowned by the Korean Bell of Friendship. The massive bell itself sits inside an ornately decorated belfry atop a stone pavilion.

Korean-American Friendship

The project started back in 1976. Spearheaded by respected Korean-American actor Philip Ahn, the Republic of Korea presented the Friendship Bell monument as a gesture of thanks to the United States for helping to keep the Republic of Korea free of communists during and after the Korean War.

The Bell in the Belfry

Up close the bell is massive, and allegedly one of the largest in the world. On its copper-tin-etc alloy surface are rows of Rose of Sharon and figures of Lady Liberty holding a torch high and resembling the Statue of Liberty. On the ceiling above the bell are colorful traditional patterns.

The Massive 34,000 pound Friendship Bell inside the belfry.

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The Huge 17-Ton Bell

A Scenic Drive

Jennifer had been telling me about her old alma mater Marymount College for years, and so on this day we bundled into the van and took the scenic route south from Woodland Hills, following Pacific Coast Highway through Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Manhattan and Hermosa Beaches to Palos Verdes. From her college we could clearly see Catalina Island.

A Scene from the Usual Suspects

Then she told me about the Korean Bell of Friendship. It wasn't until we hiked up to it that I realized I had seen this in the movie The Usual Suspects when the gang meets Redfoot. The movie features both afternoon and nighttime scenes.

Jennifer

The Korean Friendship Bell symbolizes the friendship between two nations. Jennifer and I are good friends, so visiting the Friendship Bell was a nice ending to an enjoyable day spent together.

Commemorative Plaque

At the entrance to the pavilion is a set of plaques in Korean and English. They read —

The friendship bell, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was presented as a gift from the people of the Republic of Korea to the people of the United States of America on the occasion of the American Bicentennial Jubilee to further the friendship and trust between the two nations.

Cast with an alloy of tin, copper, gold, silver and phosphorus, the bell reflects the distinct characteristics and beauty of traditional Korean bells.

The knob of the bell comprises a dragon-shaped figure and a sound pipe. On the outer circumference of the bell are four pairs of goddesses carved in relief to symbolize the spirits of freedom, independence, peace and prosperity in each of the two countries. Ornate bands of the rose of Sharon, the national flower of Korea, decorate in relief the shoulder and rim of the bell. The bell measures 3.63 meters in height with a circumference of 7.25 meters. It weighs 17 metric tons.

The bell pavilion, constructed in traditionally Korean architectural style with a blue-tiled roof, is painted in a unique coloring pattern, which is known in Korea as “tanch’ong.”

It is the hope of the Korean people that the friendship bell will forever sound the continued prosperity of the United States and the Republic of Korea, together with the enduring friendship of the two nations, which is sealed by a mutual faith in freedom and independence.

Tags Walkabout, Architecture, Parks