Critical but little-known piece of Canada's military history is the focus of garden planned for Langley

Efforts are underway in Langley, B.C., to better memorialize a critical but little-known episode in Canadian military history.

At the Derek Doubleday Arboretum near the Langley airport is the Gapyeong Stone, a modest memorial to the Battle of Gapyeong fought  in 1951 during the Korean War.

It's a large piece of granite from Gapyeong County in South Korea, inscribed with Korean and English text.

Korean-Canadian Michael Chang, honorary ambassador from Kapyeong County, is one of the leaders of an effort to improve the memorial with the planting of a traditional Korean garden. 

He wants to see the Korean War and the service of Canadian soldiers in that war more prominently remembered.

"The Korean War has been kind of a forgotten war for a long time," Chang said.

"[South Korean] culture is really booming right now, everywhere, because people like [the] Canadians soldiers came. 

"They defended our country. So Korean people should be really thankful for the service they put on during the Korean War."

Chang's hope is to complete the garden to honour Korean War veterans while as many as possible are still living. Their average age, he says, is about 91 years old.

The Battle of Gapyeong (also known as the Battle of Kapyong) was fought from April 22 to 25, 1951, northeast of Seoul.

Chinese and North Korean soldiers retreating from the south regrouped and counterattacked South Korean forces. The South Korean forces withdrew and United Nations troops, including 700 Canadians, were called up to cover their retreat.

The Canadians spent three days defending a critical hill from repeated assaults. Ten Canadians died and 23 were wounded in the hill's defence but the effort is credited for allowing the escape of the South Korean forces and reducing the risk of further attacks on Seoul.

Chang is working with the Arboretum and Botanical Society of Langley on raising funds for the memorial garden to mark the fight.

He said over $6,000 of the estimated $20,000 needed for the project has been secured so far, including donations from the Korean-Canadian community.