The symbolism behind Winnipeg's newly redesigned Kapyong Park

Park pays tribute to Canadian soldiers who fought in the Korean War

September 13, 2019

Tucked behind a fence along a busy stretch of Ness Ave. the newly redesigned Kapyong Park is a place for reflection on a key battle in Canada’s military history.

“It is an opportunity for people to come here, take a look at the design features, and think about the insurmountable odds the Canadian forces had against them,” said Ian Legge, the Planning, Property & Development Department’s Landscape Architect behind the project.

Legge explained that during the Korean War, the Battle of Kapyong saw 700 Canadian soldiers fighting a Communist force of 5,000. In all, 10 Canadian soldiers were killed.

The 10 boulders represent the 10 Canadian soldiers killed in the Battle of Kapyong.

He wanted to pay tribute to the 10 fallen soldiers by featuring ten granite boulders in the park. The boulders sit opposite from 70 white blocks, which also serves as seating for people.

There is also a chaotic paving stone pattern in the space between the boulders and blocks to the represent the two sides fighting.

The park, which officially opened in June, 2019, was designed to also host events such as Remembrance Day, anniversaries for the Korean War, or any other military-related ceremony. With that in mind, Legge had the seating oriented in the direction of South Korea.

“When you are sitting down for a ceremony you are facing the direction of which the battle took place,” he said.

The fence separating the park from Ness Avenue acts to dampen the vehicle sound but also serves another purpose. Legge designed it to gradually increase in size the further west it goes. The raised angle represents the assent to the hill of which the Canadians were fighting on.

When the park was almost finished, Legge received a call from the Korean Society of Manitoba who had been in contact with the South Korean Government about this project.

The boulder donated by the South Korean Government can be seen along Ness Ave. at the entrance to Kapyong Park.

“The government was going to gift a large granite boulder from the Kapyong region to us,” recalled Legge.

Legge said of all the projects he has worked on for the City, this park is the most memorable for him.

“I am very proud, very proud of it,” he said. “It means a lot to me that I had the opportunity to honour these brave men, who died in battle and to be able to come up with something that hopefully will be a lasting legacy for the Korean War and the Battle of Kapyong.”

Parks, Trees, and the Environment Celebrating City Employees

Was this information helpful?

How can we make this web page better?

Information collected will be used to improve our website. Do not use this form to submit a request for service or information because it will not be forwarded to departments for response. To submit a request for service or information, contact 311.

This form is not intended to collect personal information; however, any personal information you choose to include in your comments is collected by the City of Winnipeg under the authority of section 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of improving our website and will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes, except as authorized by law. Contact the Corporate Access and Privacy Officer by mail (City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1B9) or by telephone (311) if you have any questions about the collection of this information.

Ces renseignements sont-ils utiles?

Comment pourrait-on améliorer cette page Web?

Les renseignements recueillis serviront à l’amélioration de notre site Web. Prière de ne pas se servir de ce formulaire pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, car la demande ne sera pas transmise au service en question. Pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec le 311.

Le présent formulaire ne vise pas à recueillir des renseignements personnels. Cependant, les renseignements personnels que vous choisissez d’inclure dans vos commentaires sont recueillis par la Ville de Winnipeg en conformité avec l’alinéa 36(1)b) de la Loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection de la vie privée dans le but d’améliorer son site Web et ne seront ni utilisés ni divulgués pour d’autres raisons, sauf dans les cas où cela est autorisé par la loi. Communiquez avec l’agent de l’accès à l’information et de la protection de la vie privée de la Ville par courrier au Bureau du greffier, immeuble Susan-A.-Thompson, 510, rue Main, Winnipeg (Manitoba) R3B 1B9, ou par téléphone au 311 si vous avez des questions sur la collecte de ces renseignements.