[News Terms] What Kind of Event Is a 'Gwanhamsik'?

Government Emphasizes Need for 'Security Cooperation' and 'Improvement of Korea-Japan Relations'
Possibility of Rising Rising Controversy over Rising Sun Flag Mainly from Opposition Parties

On October 15, 2015, the Korean Navy's Dae Jo-yeong-class destroyer participated in a pre-event of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet review held at Sagami Bay, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Our Navy has decided to participate in the international fleet review to be held on the 6th of next month in Sagami Bay, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Foreign Minister Park Jin explained at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 31st, "I understand that the decision was made by comprehensively considering precedents and international customs."

The fleet review is a ceremony to inspect the combat readiness of warships and the discipline of soldiers, a representative naval 'military diplomacy' event. It is said to have originated from King Edward III of England inspecting the British fleet at sea in 1341. Maritime powers such as the United Kingdom, China, and Japan have held fleet reviews to celebrate the founding of their military or victory anniversaries and to showcase their naval power. Recently, it has become an international diplomatic event inviting fleets from other countries for military exchange purposes.

Korea held its first fleet review in 1949 in Incheon waters to commemorate the first anniversary of the government’s establishment. Since 1998, it has started inviting fleets from other countries and holds international fleet reviews every ten years. A fleet review was also held in 2015, but this was not a regular international fleet review; it was held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of liberation and the 70th anniversary of the Navy’s founding.

The upcoming international fleet review next month is an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force. Korea has decided to send one of its Navy’s latest logistics support ships, the Soyang, to this fleet review. This is the first time in seven years that our Navy will participate in a Japanese fleet review since the Park Geun-hye administration in 2015. Japan did not participate in the 2018 international fleet review held in Jeju during the Moon Jae-in administration due to the Rising Sun Flag issue.

Earlier, in 2002 and 2015, the Korean Navy attended Japanese fleet reviews, and Japan also sent warships to fleet reviews held in Korea in 1998 and 2008. At that time, Japanese warships flew the Rising Sun Flag, but it did not cause as much controversy over the flag issue as in 2018.

Korea’s decision to attend this international fleet review appears to emphasize 'security cooperation' and 'improvement of Korea-Japan relations.' The Ministry of National Defense explained the reason for participation, stating, "Considering the serious security situation around the Korean Peninsula caused by North Korea’s continuous provocations, we want to emphasize that the security implications of our Navy’s participation in this international fleet review were given top priority." The Ministry also added that it referred to "the formal acceptance of the Self-Defense Force flag by the international community, including China," and "past precedents of our country attending fleet reviews."

However, criticism has emerged mainly from opposition parties, questioning "whether our soldiers should salute the Rising Sun Flag again," and the Rising Sun Flag controversy is expected to flare up once more. A video titled "The Rising Sun Flag as a Long-standing Japanese Culture" uploaded on the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ YouTube channel explains that the "Rising Sun pattern" used in the flag "is used as the Self-Defense Force flag of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and has been flown on various occasions domestically and internationally." The Ministry of National Defense explained, "Japan’s Rising Sun Flag and the Self-Defense Force flag are different forms, and the Self-Defense Force flag has been formally accepted by the international community."

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