William Hamilton Shaw Statue윌리엄해밀턴쇼 동상

About

This site tells the story of William Hamilton Shaw (Korean name Seo Wi-ryeom II), who loved Korea so much that he gave his life for it. The son of American missionary William Earl Shaw (Korean name Seo Wi-ryeom), he was born in Pyongyang and grew up with Korean friends. He was pursuing a doctorate at Harvard in preparation for working as a missionary in Korea when he heard that the Korean War had broken out. Leaving behind his family's safety and his own bright future, he volunteered to serve as a lieutenant in the US Navy. As an intelligence officer during the Incheon Landing, he contributed to the operation's success. While advancing with the forces retaking Seoul, he was attacked by North Korean troops heavily armed with machine guns in Nokbeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, and was killed on September 22, 1950, at the age of 28. Lieutenant Shaw was posthumously awarded the Eulji Order of Military Merit by the Korean government and the Silver Star by the US government. In 2023, he was named one of the "Top 10 Korea–US War Heroes" together with his father, William Earl Shaw, who served as a military chaplain during the Korean War and was a founding director and New Testament professor of the Methodist Theological Seminary in Daejeon, the predecessor of Mokwon University. This statue was erected to share his noble sacrifice widely.