A U.S. senator has introduced a bill calling for erecting a "Wall of Remembrance" in Washington that lists the names of all 36,574 American soldiers killed during the Korean War.

Sen. Benjamin Cardin brought in the legislation (S.1982) earlier this month that would authorize the wall's establishment at the Korean War Veterans Memorial and allow certain private contributions to fund the project, congressional records showed Sunday.

The legislation, which was co-sponsored by Sen. John Boozman and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, followed a similar bill that Rep. Sam Johnson, a Korean War veteran, introduced in the House in March.

The two bills are almost identical and say that the proposed wall would list the names of all members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed in action during the Korean War and list the number of all American prisoners of war and those missing in action.

"The Korean War Memorial in our nation's capital is a moving experience that literally reflects the veterans of what has often been called America's 'Forgotten War.' But missing are the individual men and women who answered the call to serve their nation during this three-year war," Cardin said in a statement.

"We honor the service and sacrifice of our Korean War veterans and hope that this expanded recognition will bring solace and pride to their families through the knowledge that their loved ones will never be forgotten," he said.

Co-sponsor Boozman said the proposed wall would be a "fitting recognition that shows our nation's appreciation to the men and women who sacrificed their lives in service to our country during the Korean War." It would also serve as a reminder of the human cost of the war, he said.

The United States led the 21-nation Allied Forces to help South Korea repel the Chinese-backed communist troops invading from the North. More than 36,000 American soldiers sacrificed their lives and 103,284 were wounded. (Yonhap)