ROTC 60 Years: 220,000 Officers Produced from Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps

ROTC 60th Anniversary Ceremony Held on the 1st... Only 99 Key Officials Attended Due to COVID-19, Alumni at Home and Abroad Joined Online... ROTC Contribution and Merit Awards Presented, 'Vision Declaration Ceremony' for the Next 100 Years... ROTC 60-Year History Publication and ROTC Angel (1,004 Blood Donation Certificates) Donation Ceremony Held

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Korea ROTC Central Association (President Park Jin-seo) commemorated the 60th anniversary of the founding of ROTC by paying respects at the National Seoul National Cemetery on the 1st, followed by holding the ‘60th Anniversary Ceremony of the Founding of Korea ROTC’ at The-K Hotel Seoul (located in Yangjae-dong, Seoul).

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, only 99 key executives attended the ceremony in person, while alumni nationwide and overseas participated online via Zoom. Additionally, Min Hong-chul, Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, attended to offer congratulations.

The ceremony proceeded in the following order: ▲Opening remarks ▲National anthem ▲Reading of the ROTC pledge ▲Introduction of attendees ▲Report on history and progress ▲Screening of the ROTC 60th anniversary commemorative video ▲Screening of congratulatory videos (Minister of National Defense, Army Chief of Staff) ▲Welcome speech ▲Commemorative address ▲Congratulatory speech ▲Introduction and publication ceremony of the ROTC 60-year history book ▲Lunch ▲50th anniversary commissioning medal award ceremony ▲ROTC Angel (donation of 1,000 blood donation certificates) presentation ceremony ▲ROTC contribution and merit awards ceremony ▲60th anniversary commemorative rice cake cutting ceremony ▲Vision proclamation ceremony ▲ROTC anthem dedication ceremony ▲Closing remarks and commemorative photo session.

In particular, an awards ceremony was held to honor those who contributed to the development of ROTC over the past 60 years. The ROTC Contribution Award was presented to the late General Park Se-hwan (retired Army General), Honorary Chairman Son Gil-seung of SK Telecom, Chairman Lee Geon-su of Dong-A Elecom, Chairman Cheon Shin-il of Sejung, Chairman Kim Jong-seop of Samick Musical Instruments, Chairman Lee Dong-hyung of Starco, and CEO Choi Yong-do of Dojun Shipping (Chairman of the ROTC Scholarship Foundation).

Additionally, the ROTC Merit Award was given to the five-sibling ROTC family (only the eldest Hwang Young-il, former president of C Channel Broadcasting, and the fourth sibling Hwang Young-bae, director of Sinmangae Orphanage, attended), former Dongduk Women’s University President Kim Young-rae who served as chairman of the ROTC 60-year history compilation committee, Lee Chung-hee, chairman of the Baekwoon Scholarship Foundation who contributed to military development, and Nam Young-shin, Army Chief of Staff.

Especially, while reflecting on the glorious 60 years, a ‘ROTC Vision Proclamation Ceremony’ was held to look forward to the next 100 years. It reaffirmed the commitment to serve as a cornerstone for nurturing future innovative and excellent leaders as key figures in national society, and as a model officer organization leading member welfare, dedicated service, and harmony.

Also, a publication celebration and dedication ceremony for the ‘ROTC 60-Year History’ book, which contains the history and photos of ROTC’s 60 years, was held. The ‘ROTC 60-Year History’ consists of two volumes in one set: the history book and a photo album, totaling 100 pages, covering the history of Korea ROTC and the Central Association, ROTC’s identity, and future development prospects.

Alongside this, the ‘ROTC Angel Donation Ceremony’ was conducted to hand over 1,004 blood donation certificates collected during the ‘ROTC Blood Donation Service Day’ event held on April 22 to the Korean Red Cross.

The event concluded with the dedication ceremony of the ‘ROTC Anthem,’ created to unite the 220,000 ROTC alumni and enhance the ROTC spirit and identity. The ROTC anthem’s lyrics were written by alumnus Han Myung-hee (former deputy director of the National Academy of Arts), who also wrote the lyrics for the song ‘Bimok,’ and composed by Professor Lee Young-jo of the Korea National University of Arts. Han Myung-hee was presented with a dedication plaque on the day.

In his commemorative address, President Park Jin-seo stated, “Since its founding in 1961, ROTC has served as the ‘guardian of national defense’ on the front lines of security for the past 60 years, and after discharge, as an ‘economic vanguard’ in various sectors of society, laying the foundation for Korea’s development.” He added, “On the 60th anniversary, looking toward the next 100 years, ROTC, equipped with both civil and military virtues, pledges to be a model of ‘loyalty to the nation and service to the people’ and a ‘future-oriented leader’ contributing to Korea’s development. Let us leap forward vigorously toward the future 100 years as ▲leaders in national security ▲pioneers of national development ▲and vanguards of national unity.”

Cheon Shin-il, honorary president of the Central Association and chairman of the 60th anniversary event preparation committee, said in his welcome speech, “Since the establishment of ROTC units at 16 comprehensive universities nationwide on June 1, 1961, 220,000 ROTCians have been produced from 118 ROTC units, including 2,210 female ROTC officers commissioned.” He emphasized, “In the post-COVID era and the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our ROTCians must lead Korea’s change and innovation. This is our historic mission and responsibility.”

The Korea ROTC Central Association, with 220,000 members, about 8,000 ROTC cadets from 118 university ROTC units, and Junior ROTC students from 21 high schools, prepared various events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of ROTC’s founding this year. However, due to COVID-19, events in the first half of the year were canceled or postponed. Planned events for the second half include the Junior ROTC system development National Assembly seminar (June-July, under consultation with the National Assembly), ROTC job fair (July 8), alumni concert for Liberation Day (August 14), Central Association President’s Cup golf tournament (August 30), Junior ROTC joint military experience (September 9-10), DMZ 155-mile relay race (October 1-3, from Goseong to Paju), and the ROTC National District Competition (October 23-24).

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