Nam Pyo Park's Obituary
Obituary for the late General Park Nam-Pyo
General Park Nam-Pyo, who has been the most respected elder statesman and community leader among the Korean-Americans of Pacific Northwest for the past half-century, passed away on November 14, 2020 at 7:25pm.
He was born on March 19, 1923, in Vladivostok, Siberia during the Japanese annexation of Korea. His father, JiYoung Park was a renowned patriot fighting for Korean independence.
Park Nam-Pyo was a university student in Japan, when the Imperial Japan made the Unconditional Surrender to U.S. Forces in August 1945. He soon returned to Korea, enrolled into Korean Military Academy, graduating in November 1946. Became a Colonel in ROK army in March 1951, during the Korean War. He completed US Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning in 1953, as the first ROK active duty officer.
Upon his return to Korea, he became the Commanding Officer, ROK 9th Div. 30th Regiment in 1953. Became the ExecOff of ROK Army 6th Corp in 1954. Married SongJa Lee in January 1958. Became Brigadier General, Commanding Officer of ROK Officer Training School in 1958. Graduated from ROK Army War College in 1960. Became Major General, Commanding Officer of ROK 21st Division in 1961. Graduated from Korea Defense Graduate School in 1964. Graduated from YonSei University Business School with MBA in 1966. Became Commanding Officer of ROK Basic Training School at Non-San in 1968. Retired from ROK Army in January 1970. Immigrated to U.S. in 1973. Became the Founding President of Tacoma Korean Association of Washington in 1977. Served as the Co-Chairman of Committee for the Korean War Memorial at WA State Capitol during 1989-1993. Was the Chair of the 50th Commemoration of Korean Liberation in August 1995. Was the Chair of 100th Year Celebration of Korean American Immigration in the U.S. in January 2003. Became an elder at DongSan Church of Tacoma, in September 2007.
Served as the Co-Chair, Korean War Veterans of America during 2000-2003, along with General Hamphill to recognize & express the appreciation for Korean War veterans, presenting medals from Korean government for American servicemen.
General Park supported various efforts to strengthen the American-Korean alliance for the past 50 years, and was instrumental in mobilizing community support for many leaders, among them: Paul Shinn, Sherry Song, Cindy Rhyu & most recently Marilyn Strickland who was elected as the first Korean-American Congresswoman from Washington State.
He is survived by four sons, InCheol Park & HongCheol Park of Seoul, Korea, DoCheol Park of Texas, MoonCheol Park of New York, and their families & grand children.
To ensure the health and safety of our community, we are following all guidelines set by local, state and CDC officials. Please contact the funeral home with any questions.
Due to maximum attendance restrictions a livestream webcast link of the funeral service can be found on tribute wall.
Or the provided link below:
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/40860
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