The Korean Bell of Friendship

On a hill in Angels Gate Park, overlooking the Pacific, with views all the way to Catalina, sits the Korean Friendship Bell. Away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles in this peaceful park in San Pedro, we joined with other locals in flying our kite in the strong ocean breeze, high above the beautiful pagoda housing the bell.

The huge bell weighs 17 tons, is 3.6 meters tall (12 feet) and is made out of copper, tin with a little gold, nickel, lead and phosphorous mixed in to enrich the tone and quality of the finish. It was given to the people of Los Angeles by the people of the Republic of Korea in 1976 in honor of the veterans of the Korean War, to celebrate the bicentennial of U.S. independence, and as a token of friendship between the two countries. The bell does not have a clapper and is rung by a huge log being released to batter the bell from the outside. It is patterned after the Bronze Bell of King Songdok, which was cast in 771 A.D. and is still on view in South Korea today. It is intricate and beautiful.

On the first Saturday of every month the bell is rung at 11.30a.m. It is also rung on other special occasions.

When the bell is rung, it is like a prayer being sent up, out over the Pacific Ocean, vibrating in a language that anyone can understand and receive. 

We had a little trouble with the prism micron kite, so we switched it for the easy peasy aerodynamic parafoil kite instead that is not quite so fussy. Kim and Henry both had fun making it dance with long swoops and loops. After lots of laughs, a few crash landings and enjoying the freedom of the kite and the day, we packed up and headed back to the trailer.