The memory of one of Jersey City’s longtime public servants is alive and well along a prominent stretch of The Heights as officials recently revealed a statue of a former councilman four years after his passing.
The City of Jersey City accepted the statue as a gift from the Family and Friends of Michael Yun, according to the resolution.
Dignitaries from the Jersey City community recently gathered outside 366 Central Avenue to honor Councilman Michael Yun, who immigrated from South Korea in the 1980s and became of pillar of the community. Yun ran Garden State News for decades before being elected as the Ward D Councilman in 2013.
Yun’s life was sadly cut short in 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many without a proper opportunity to say goodbye. The new statue of his likeness honors his memory outside of his former office, on Bowers Street and the corner of Central Avenue.
“Exactly four years after his death, [Councilman Yun’s] presence will remain as a reminder of his service to Jersey City,” Mayor Steve Fulop said in a statement on social media following the unveiling.
Yun was kind enough to grant a sit-down interview with Jersey Digs back in 2018. He touched on a myriad of issues during the wide-ranging chat, but specifically cited a commitment to renovating parks in The Heights during the talk.
Yun would be proud of the work going on at Reservoir #3 that continues to this day, as construction is humming along and the revitalized park hopes to be open later this year.
