The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel. | Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel. | Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons
State Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) introduced legislation naming a section of Interstate 57 in Benton the "38th Parallel Korean Veteran Highway."
"The 38th parallel is very significant to the warriors of Korea, as that is where the DMZ, the Demilitarized Zone, was established," Swanson said from the House floor. "In honor of the nearly 33,700 soldiers, sailors and Marines, and Air Force personnel that were killed and more than 100,000 were wounded in the Korean conflict. Franklin County shares a unique latitude line, the 38th parallel, and with that historical boundary, we'd like to place a sign recognizing and honoring those veterans with the sign simply saying, '38th Parallel Korean Veteran Highway.'"
The Korean War, Swanson said, "played an important part in American history, and the veterans of the Korean War have earned our respect and admiration."
HJR 88 was introduced by Swanson last month. It advanced unanimously in the House.
The resolution was sent to the Senate and referred to the Senate Assignments Committee.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, after approximately 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th parallel, which is "the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south," according to History.com.
The war ended in July 1953, and the two Koreas remain separate to this day, the website said.
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