Today is the Victory Day of the Second Yeonpyeong Sea Battle

Victory Celebration Ceremony at Navy 2nd Fleet
Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop: "A Great Victory Repelling North Korean Military Provocation"

The ‘20th Anniversary Victory Commemoration Ceremony of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong’ was held on the morning of the 29th at the Republic of Korea Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The ‘Second Battle of Yeonpyeong’ broke out on the morning of June 29, 2002, during the Korea-Japan World Cup, when a North Korean patrol boat, ‘Deungsanggot 684,’ crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) into the western waters off Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea and launched a surprise attack on the ROK Navy’s high-speed patrol boat ‘Chamsuri 357.’

At the ceremony, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop stated in his commemorative speech, "The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong was a great victory in which the Republic of Korea Navy repelled North Korean provocations," adding, "Our military will uphold the spirit of sacrifice and patriotic will of the veterans who participated in the battle to steadfastly protect the free Republic of Korea."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister Lee then personally awarded the ‘Dedication Honor Medal’ to Colonel (General) Lee Hee-wan, a veteran of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, Sergeant Major (Ret.) Lee Hae-young, and other veterans of the Chamsuri-357 patrol boat. The ‘Dedication Honor Medal’ is awarded to soldiers wounded during military operations such as combat, and its name was revised this year from ‘Injury Medal.’

Seo Young-seok, chairman of the bereaved families association, encouraged the attendees, saying, "The soldiers of the 2nd Fleet, who are the most reliable young people and true heroes defending the West Sea and the Northern Limit Line of the Republic of Korea, should continue the tradition of victory."

Last year, the Navy enhanced the significance of the victory of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong by changing the name of the commemorative event from ‘commemoration ceremony’ to ‘victory commemoration ceremony,’ and renaming the monument from ‘Battle Monument (Jeonjeokbi)’ to ‘Victory Monument (Jeonseungbi).’ While ‘Jeonjeokbi’ refers to a monument erected to commemorate the occurrence of a battle, ‘Jeonseungbi’ refers to a monument erected to commemorate a victory in battle.

The ceremony was attended by about 300 people, including Seo Young-seok, chairman of the bereaved families association (father of the late Sergeant Seo Hoo-won), bereaved families of the fallen from the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, veterans, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lee Jong-ho, Marine Corps Commandant Kim Gye-hwan, and others. Also present were Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Han Ki-ho, chairman of the National Defense Committee, members of the National Assembly, Choi Yoon-hee (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), president of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong Victory Commemoration Association, and heads of related organizations and groups.

Meanwhile, as a result of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, six ROK personnel were killed, including Captain (then Captain) Yoon Young-ha, commander of Chamsuri 357, Staff Sergeants Han Sang-guk and Jo Cheon-hyeong, Sergeants Hwang Do-hyun and Seo Hoo-won, and Corporal Park Dong-hyuk, with 19 wounded. It is also reported that over 30 North Korean soldiers were killed.

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