Winnipeg has officially opened a park recognizing soldiers who fought in the Battle of Kapyong during the Korean War.

The mayor of Gapyeong, South Korea, joined Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman and members of the Second Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for yesterday's ceremony at Kapyong Park.

Seven hundred soldiers from the battalion fought in the Battle of Kapyong between April 22nd and 25th in 1951.

Canadians stood their ground in the battle against a pressing Chinese army and saved the capital of Seoul. A plaque erected on a boulder in the park recounts the story of the role that Winnipeg soldiers played in the battle:

Isolated from other units of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade and at one point completely surrounded by the enemy, the Patricia's gave up not one foot of ground, halting the huge enemy offensive and saving the South Korean capital. For this gallant action the Princess Patricia's 2nd Battalion, which was in the chain of command of an American Army Corps, was awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation.

The park is on the site of the former Kapyong Barracks, which was relocated to Shilo, Manitoba. Its entrance is at 340 Amherst Street.