Korean Friendship Bell
DETAILS:
Location: Angels Gate Park - 3601 S Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
Hours of Operation: Sunrise to sunset.
Parking: Free parking on site.
Cost: Free!
Time Commitment: 1 hour should be plenty.
Miscellaneous: The bell is rung on the first Saturday of each month at 12:15PM / On July 4th / On August 15th (National Liberation Day of Korea) / On New Year’s Eve / On January 13th (Korean-American Day)
Instead of facts and figures for this entry, I want to share a little about myself as it relates to this particular destination. Even my closest friends aren’t necessarily aware that I was born in South Korea. Like most immigrants, my mother moved our family to the United States when I was an infant to provide us with the best parts of the American dream. I will always be indebted to her for this because I couldn't imagine my life any other way, nor could I ever imagine not calling Chicago, and now Los Angeles, my home (although it might’ve been nice to have had a shot at being in a K-Pop boy band). It’s still hard for me to believe that I haven’t been back to my native country since we first made that move a lifetime ago for no other reason then… well, life. Looking back, I'm ashamed to admit that for most of my formative years and early adulthood, I was embarrassed of my heritage, of being different. I was so concerned with fitting in and being "American" (and more importantly; a Chicagoan) that I sacrificed any part of me that I thought wasn't. Sometimes the only thing that can give you clarity is time. I'm older now and although it took me far too long, I finally embrace my diversity with pride.
So my move to Los Angeles was rather fortuitous considering that one of its major neighborhoods; Koreatown, boast one of the largest Korean populations outside of Korea. That’s when you realize it’s hardly a coincidence that the Republic of Korea (that's South Korea, folks. No need to confuse us for our “eccentric” neighbors to the north) gifted this city with the Korean Friendship Bell in 1976 as a display of, you guessed it, friendship between our two countries. Reigning on a perfectly manicured knoll overlooking Los Angeles Harbor, the bell and its location are stunning no matter what your ethnic disposition might be. But even more primordial to me, it stirs the ancestral fabric at my very core whenever I visit. Maybe it’s because my subconscious inherently knows that this monument (and quite literally its vicinity) is the closest I’ll ever get to Korea until I can finally return in full. Or maybe I’m just being over-dramatic like a bad Bravo reality show. Probably somewhere in between, I suppose. They say the Korean Bell of Friendship is modeled after the Bronze Bell of King Songdok which still stands in Korea today. I hope I can say that I visited both one day.
As children continue to fly their kites overhead, I stand at the base of the bell and look across the ocean; yearning.
RESOURCES:
SanPedro.com; Korean Bell of Friendship page.
