The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a resolution welcoming the recent dedication of a new monument at the Korean War Veterans Memorial here in Washington.

The resolution, introduced by senators Dan Sullivan (R-AR) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) on Monday, also expresses U.S. appreciation to the South Korean government for funding the new Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

The Senate "deeply appreciates and sincerely thanks the Government and people of the Republic of Korea for their generosity in funding the Wall of Remembrance, reflecting the shared sacrifice and common values of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance," the resolution says.

The resolution comes about two weeks after the near US$22 million new Wall of Remembrance was dedicated on July 27, marking the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

It features the names of more than 43,000 U.S. soldiers and members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) who were killed during the three-year war.

"The names of more than 36,600 Americans and more than 7,100 KATUSA soldiers -- Korean Army personnel augmented into U.S. forces -- are etched into marble and held in our nation's memory forever," Sullivan said after the Senate passed his resolution, according to his office.

"I want to thank the Korean people for their enduring friendship and my Senate colleagues for passing our resolution to recognize the significance of this event," he was quoted as saying.

Duckworth said the Korean War memorial, along with the new Wall of Remembrance, will "forever remind us all that freedom is not free."

"I'm proud the Senate passed our bipartisan resolution to celebrate our alliance with the Republic of Korea and express appreciation for the collective effort to fund a new Wall of Remembrance at this memorial to help ensure the names of these brave heroes will never be forgotten," she was quoted as saying, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Source: Yonhap News Agency