President Moon Visits Navy 2nd Fleet, Names Latest Frigate Cheonanham

Attendance at the 6th West Sea Defense Day Ceremony, Offering Flowers and Paying Respects at the 2nd Yeonpyeong Naval Battle Monument and Cheonan Ship Memorial

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the afternoon of the 26th, President Moon Jae-in attended the '6th West Sea Defense Day' held at the Navy 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and named the new frigate "Cheonanham."

The Blue House stated, "With about 200 attendees including bereaved families of the fallen, veterans, and key government and military officials, this commemorative event was held aboard the Navy's latest landing ships Nojeokbongham and Cheonjabongham. It was the first time the event took place at the 2nd Fleet, the heart of West Sea maritime operations and the resting place of West Sea defense heroes."

The ceremony, held under the theme "I have devoted my body and mind," was hosted by Army Captain Jeong Dong-mi from the Defense Media Agency and Navy Private Park Bo-gum, a former actor.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, President Moon announced in his commemorative speech that the new frigate to be launched in 2023 would be named "Cheonanham," signifying the inheritance of the noble spirit of the Cheonanham warriors. On the 25th, the Navy held a ship-naming committee meeting and decided to name the 7th Daegu-class frigate (FFG-II), scheduled to be commissioned in 2023, as "Cheonanham."

President Moon expressed his condolences for the noble sacrifices of the West Sea defense heroes and affirmed the government's responsibility toward those who dedicated themselves to the nation.

Meanwhile, before the ceremony began, President Moon visited the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong Monument to pay respects to the eight fallen soldiers from the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling provocation. After the event, he also visited the Cheonanham 46 Warriors Memorial to console the fallen and their families.

During the visit to the Cheonanham memorial, retired Colonel Choi Won-il, who was the captain of the Cheonanham at the time of the attack, accompanied President Moon and the First Lady to lay flowers and incense at the memorial for the 46 warriors and inspected the Cheonanham hull.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the event attendance was minimized to about 200 people, including around 100 bereaved family members.

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