Military Parade Held for the First Time in 10 Years on October 26th, Armed Forces Day

Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Showcase Integrated Capabilities for the First Time
High-Power Missiles and L-SAM Displayed

At the Armed Forces Day event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces, key Korean 3-axis system core forces such as high-power missiles and long-range surface-to-air guided weapons (L-SAM) will be unveiled to the public for the first time. It is the first time in 10 years since 2013 that a large-scale military equipment deployment has been mobilized for the Armed Forces Day parade.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 13th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the Armed Forces Day commemorative event will be held at 10 a.m. on the 26th at Seoul Airport under the theme "Strong Armed Forces, Robust Security, Peace through Strength." The event will mobilize over 6,700 personnel and more than 340 pieces of equipment across 68 types. From 4 p.m., a parade will also take place around the Seoul Sungnyemun to Gwanghwamun area.

The commemorative event will feature a large number of the latest weapon systems. High-power missiles, L-SAM, the first Korean fighter jet KF-21, and domestically developed next-generation light armed helicopter (LAH) among eight types and 27 units of domestically developed equipment will be exhibited to the public for the first time. Reconnaissance, surveillance, and strike drones from the Drone Operations Command will also appear. Infantry battalion soldiers will appear wearing the personal combat system called the "Warrior Platform," and advanced scientific technology-applied equipment such as unmanned systems, manned-unmanned combined systems like the Army Tiger, and the Korean 3-axis system will be mobilized.

An aerial parade will also be conducted. For the first time on Armed Forces Day, six types of fighter jets including the Air Force’s F-35A and KF-21, totaling 21 aircraft, will perform a large-scale formation flight. Nine types of rotary-wing aircraft including the LAH totaling 54 units, and 11 types of fixed-wing aircraft including the KF-21 totaling 76 units will fill the skies above the event venue. Seven aircraft from the U.S. Air Force stationed in Korea will also participate. About 200 elite personnel from Korea and the U.S. will demonstrate their joint operational capabilities by performing tactical parachute jumps using the same methods as actual airborne infiltration, showcasing various infiltration techniques in the air.

The parade will mobilize 46 types and about 170 units of equipment including L-SAM, small drones, Patriot missiles, and the domestically produced medium-range surface-to-air guided weapon Cheongung, along with about 4,000 personnel. The equipment units will depart first under the command of combined arms commanders, followed by infantry units. In the air, Apache helicopters and the Air Force’s special flight team Black Eagles will fly simultaneously four times. The Navy’s next-generation Aegis destroyer Jeongjo the Great will also participate in the parade through augmented reality (AR).

This is the first time that the integrated capabilities of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are showcased in a parade in the heart of Seoul. About 300 personnel from the U.S. 8th Army combat units will participate in the parade for the first time.

The Ministry of National Defense explained, "A 'march with the people' that has never been seen in past events has been prepared," adding, "Soldiers and citizens will march together from the citizen review stand installed in front of Seoul City Hall to Gwanghwamun Square, accompanied by the military band, Yeomgwang High School marching band, and each service’s mascot dolls."

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces, 75 personnel from each service branch, cadets, KATUSA, reservists, and university students were selected to form the Armed Forces Symphony Orchestra for the first time. About 10,000 people including soldiers, military families, reservists, veterans’ organizations, overseas Korean War veterans and their descendants, and the general public were invited to the commemorative event. Veterans and descendants from 19 countries, including Nezdet Yazizoglu (94) from Turkey and Clemente Quintero (93) from Colombia, will attend. The granddaughter of John Foster Dulles, the U.S. representative at the time of the signing of the Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty, and the granddaughter of Mark Wayne Clark, the UN Commander who attended the signing of the armistice agreement, were also invited. They will stay in Seoul for four nights and five days, visiting the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom and paying tribute at the War Memorial.

On the 20th, a "military culture experience event" will be held around the Han River in Seoul, and from the 24th to 25th, it will take place around Gwanghwamun and Seoul City Hall. Aircraft noise is expected around Seoul Airport and downtown Seoul from the 14th, when rehearsals begin, until the 26th. On the 26th, from 1 p.m. to 3:40 p.m., the Seoul Airport to Sungnyemun section, and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Sungnyemun to Gwanghwamun Square section will be operated as "car-free zones."

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