West Sea Defense Day Ceremony to Be Held Tomorrow at Pyeongtaek Naval 2nd Fleet

Held annually on the fourth Friday of March since 2016... 9th edition this year

The 9th West Sea Defense Day commemorative ceremony, honoring the courage and spirit of sacrifice of the heroes who protected the sea, will be held on the 22nd at the Navy 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on the 21st, the West Sea Defense Day commemorative ceremony has been held annually on the fourth Friday of March since 2016 to honor the 55 heroes and veterans who sacrificed their lives in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong (June 29, 2002), the Cheonan ship sinking (March 26, 2010), and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling (November 23, 2010).

Under the theme "The West Sea Protected by Heroes! The Republic of Korea to be Protected Forever!", about 1,000 people including the bereaved families of the West Sea Defense heroes, veterans, key government officials, senior military officers, citizens, and students are expected to attend the ceremony. The ceremony will feature a tribute performance and a commemorative performance.

In the tribute performance "Immortal Light," a child of a West Sea Defense hero will take the stage to personally read a letter titled "A Letter to Dad," recalling their father and expressing their future resolve. In the commemorative performance, veterans will enter to the tunes of Navy and Marine Corps military songs and sing together with vocalists the military songs "Let's Go to the Sea" and "Marine Spirit."

Kang Jeong-ae, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, stated, "I hope that this West Sea Defense Day commemorative ceremony will be a precious opportunity for our people to once again reflect on the noble will and spirit of the West Sea Defense heroes."

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