Yeosu City Holds Joint Commemoration Ceremony for Yeosun Incident United by Civil, Public, Military, and Police Sectors for the First Time in 72 Years

First Joint Memorial Ceremony of Civilians, Government, Military, and Police Since the 1948 Yeosun Incident
Yeosu Mayor Kwon Oh-bong Urges Support for Enactment of the 21st National Assembly Special Act

The photo shows Yeosu Mayor Kwon Oh-bong and guests attending the 71st Yeosun Incident Memorial Ceremony held last year at Yi Sun-sin Square in Yeosu City, observing a moment of silence to the sound of sirens.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Yeosu City (Mayor Kwon Oh-bong) announced on the 8th that it will hold the 72nd Yeosun Incident Joint Memorial Ceremony at around 10 a.m. on the 19th at the Lee Sun-shin Square area in Jungang-dong, praying for the harmony and coexistence of local residents.

In particular, this year marks the first time that the bereaved families of police officers who died in the line of duty will participate, adding greater significance to the event.

For more than 70 years, conflicts and antagonism have continued within the region, but after efforts to understand and comfort each other, last year marked the first attendance of a representative of the bereaved families of police officers who died in the line of duty, expressing a will for reconciliation and coexistence. This year, the bereaved families of police officers will directly attend the event, making it a historic memorial ceremony where civilians, government, military, and police unite for the first time.

This year’s memorial ceremony will strictly adhere to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, reducing the number of attendees from about 500 last year to 100 to minimize attendance.

Barriers will be installed and a quarantine station set up to thoroughly implement preventive measures such as temperature checks for all attendees and maintaining seat spacing.

The event will begin with memorials by representatives of the four major religious groups and a performance by the Municipal Gugak Orchestra, followed by the screening of a promotional video urging the enactment of the Yeosun Incident Special Act, memorial performances, memorial speeches, flower offerings, and incense burning in sequence.

Following last year, a moment of silence siren will sound at exactly 10 a.m. again this year, allowing citizens who cannot attend the ceremony to pay tribute to the spirits of the Yeosun Incident from their respective locations.

Mayor Kwon Oh-bong of Yeosu said, “As we hold a united joint memorial ceremony, I hope that the painful past, which has been overshadowed by more than 70 years of time and historical shadows, will soon regain the truth,” and added, “I wish that the citizens’ desire for the enactment of the Yeosun Incident Special Act will be realized as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Yeosu City has been holding a memorial event every year on the morning of October 19 since 2016, with the participation of civilian bereaved families and representatives of the military and police, to comfort the pain of local residents and urge the enactment of the special law.

Under the jurisdiction of Jeollanam-do Province, last year marked the first joint memorial service centered on civilian bereaved families from six eastern cities and counties. To ensure smooth progress of both events, on the 21st of last month, a meeting was held under the jurisdiction of Jeollanam-do with the heads of bereaved families from Yeosu and five other cities and counties to thoroughly discuss the event schedule in advance.

A city official stated, “Unlike the provincial memorial service attended only by civilian bereaved families, the Yeosu event is different in nature as it is the first joint memorial ceremony uniting civilians, government, military, and police after long years of efforts to understand and comfort each other.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.