Pohang Suseong Shooting Range 'US Helicopter' Training Resumes... Residents Strongly Oppose with 'Defense Minister Burning Ceremony'

Residents and Police Clash in Front of Shooting Range... Residents Entering Shooting Range Forcedly Detained and Later Released

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] On the 4th, as the Ministry of National Defense resumed Apache helicopter firing training for the US Forces Korea at the Pohang Suseong firing range, residents around the firing range held an intense protest rally, including a 'burning ceremony' of photos of the Minister of National Defense and the Commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command.

The rally was held because the Ministry of National Defense, despite repeatedly promising not to conduct helicopter firing training without consulting local residents, unilaterally notified the training schedule until March 5.

On that day, when the Apache helicopters appeared in the sky, the residents marched toward the Pohang Suseong firing range carrying a bier with inscriptions of the Minister of National Defense and the Commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, holding placards and banners with slogans such as 'Complete Closure of Pohang Suseong Firing Range' and 'Are Pohang Citizens Foreigners?'.

Subsequently, clashes occurred as the police blocked the march in front of the firing range, and some Janggi-myeon residents entered the firing target area holding Taegeukgi flags to physically block the firing training, resulting in their forcible detention and subsequent release.

Residents of Janggi in Pohang who attended the rally held a burning ceremony of the bier with inscriptions of the Minister of National Defense and the Commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command as the firing training began.

Jo Hyun-cheok, the representative chairman of the opposition committee, raised his voice, saying, "The Ministry of National Defense's behavior of unilaterally forcing Apache helicopter firing training without any intention to consult with local residents and without agreeing to the commencement of mediation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has pushed the residents' anger to the extreme."

The rally was also attended by local political figures, including Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, Jeong Hae-jong, Chairman of the Pohang City Council, National Assembly members Kim Byung-wook and Kim Jeong-jae, Kim Hee-soo, Vice Chairman of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council, as well as city and provincial council members.

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