Today is West Sea Defense Day... First Commemoration Ceremony at the 2nd Fleet, the 'Vanguard of NLL Defense'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]On the 26th, the Navy 2nd Fleet Command, the vanguard defending the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, will hold the government's 'West Sea Defense Day' commemorative ceremony for the first time.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will hold the 6th commemorative ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Navy 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, to honor the 55 West Sea Defense heroes who sacrificed their lives in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, the Cheonan ship attack, and the Yeonpyeong Island artillery provocation.

Since its designation as a government commemorative day in 2016, this is the first time that a government-hosted commemorative event is held at the 2nd Fleet, which is the vanguard defending the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea and houses the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong monument, the Chamsuri 357 patrol boat, and the Cheonan ship hull.

During the 1st to 5th commemorations, the government ceremony was held at Daejeon National Cemetery, and only Navy internal events were held at the 2nd Fleet. The event will be hosted by actor Park Bo-gum, who is serving as a Navy private, and Captain Jeong Dong-mi of the Defense Media Agency.

Young-min Yoon, the younger brother of the late Major Young-ha Yoon, the commander of Chamsuri 357 who died in action during a clash with North Korea in 2002 and known as the 'Hero of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong,' will recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

During the singing of the national anthem, members of the Navy Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT), Marine Reconnaissance Unit, and Army and Air Force special mission units will rappel from high altitude carrying flags symbolizing "Remember the 55 West Sea Defense Heroes."

Following the performance of the national tribute song, military songs such as "Let's Go to the Sea" will be sung in chorus, ships will sound their horns and set sail, and Marineon and Lynx helicopters are scheduled to sortie together.

The government has designated the fourth Friday of March as 'West Sea Defense Day' since 2016 to honor the 55 West Sea Defense heroes and to reaffirm the commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the defense of the homeland.

Meanwhile, about 200 people, including bereaved families of the fallen, veterans, and key government officials, are expected to attend the event. Initially, considering the COVID-19 situation, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs planned to invite only representatives of each political party, the chairpersons of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee and Defense Committee for external attendees, but changed the policy shortly before the event to expand attendance.

A Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs official explained, "Due to many attendance requests, after reviewing the attendance scope to the maximum extent possible while complying with quarantine authorities' standards, we expanded the invitation beyond the original targets to include members of the Political Affairs and Defense Committees within the National Assembly."

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