Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden California follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
3601 South Gaffey Street
San Pedro, CA 90731
33.709749, -118.293813
(310) 548-7705
Dog-Friendly: Yes Kid-Friendly: Yes
**Make sure to check out our article on Hidden Gems in Los Angeles County!**
About the Korean Friendship Bell
This massive and intricately-decorated Korean Friendship Bell and pavilion was donated in 1976 to the people of Los Angeles by the people of the Republic of Korea.
The gift celebrates the bicentennial of the U.S. independence, honoring veterans of the Korean War and to consolidate traditional friendship between the two countries.
When the bell was built, it cost the Korean people $500,000. Four pairs of figures, each pair consisting of the Goddess of Liberty holding a torch, and a Korean spirit , are engraved in relief on the body of the bell.
Each of the Korean spirits holds up a different symbol: a symbolic design of the Korean flag; a branch of the rose of Sharon, Korea’s national flower; a branch of laurel, symbol of victory; and a dove of peace. The bell has no clapper but is struck from the outside with a wooden log.
While you’re in the area, make sure to visit the Sunken City!
The Korean Friendship Bell is set in a pagoda-like stone structure which was constructed on the site by thirty craftsmen flown in from Korea. It took them ten months and costs $569,680.
The pavilion is supported by twelve columns representing the twelve designs of the Oriental zodiac. Animals stand guard at the base of each column.
Resting peacefully on the knoll overlooking the sea gate from which U.S. troops sailed into the Pacific, the bell site affords an unsurpassed view of the Los Angeles harbor, the Catalina Channel and the sea terraces of San Pedro hill.
The bell is rung only four times each year: the Fourth of July, August 15 (Korean Independence Day) and New Year’s Eve, and every September to coincide with bell ringing around the country to celebrate Constitution week.
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