Cheonanham 15th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony Held... Ruling Party Leadership Attends in Large Numbers for 'Differentiation'

Maritime Maneuver Training Held for the 10th West Sea Defense Day
Ruling Party Attends Related Memorial Events in Large Numbers
Presidential Hopefuls Pay Tribute at National Cemeteries

A memorial ceremony was held to mark the 15th anniversary of the Cheonan ship attack incident, in which 46 of our warriors sacrificed their lives, attended by bereaved families and veterans. Amid the opposition's strong confrontation with the ruling party over the December 3 emergency martial law and the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol, the ruling party distinguished itself with veterans affairs activities, with the leadership including Kwon Young-se, Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee, fully attending the memorial ceremony.

On the morning of the 26th, the Navy announced that the '15th Cheonan 46 Warriors Memorial Ceremony' was held in front of the Cheonan 46 Warriors Memorial Monument at the 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, presided over by Major General Heo Seong-jae, Commander of the 2nd Fleet. About 200 people attended the ceremony, including bereaved families of the Cheonan 46 warriors, veterans, members of the National Assembly, the Cheonan Foundation, commanders and staff of the 2nd Fleet, officials from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and veterans associations.

Chief of Naval Operations Yang Yong-mo said in a condolence message, "The Republic of Korea Navy and Marine Corps have never forgotten the Cheonan 46 warriors for even a moment, and will never forget them in the future." Major General Heo Seong-jae, Commander of the 2nd Fleet, also stated, "The 2nd Fleet ships, including the newly revived new model Cheonan, will complete their given missions so that the sacred sacrifice of our comrades will never be in vain, and will strongly retaliate against enemy provocations to avenge our comrades' grievances."

Since the Cheonan ship attack incident, the military has greatly strengthened its anti-submarine warfare capabilities. First, to replace the aging old escort and patrol ships, the Incheon-class (FFG-I, 2,500 tons), Daegu-class (FFG-II, 3,100 tons), and Chungnam-class (FFG-III, 3,600 tons) have been sequentially constructed to reinforce combat power. These ships are equipped with domestically developed combat systems, weapon systems, and sonar systems to enhance submarine detection capabilities and ship survivability.

On the 25th, during the 10th West Sea Defense Day maritime maneuver exercise conducted in the entire sea area of the West Sea, the Navy's 2nd Fleet frigates and missile fast attack crafts carried out simultaneous anti-ship firing. From the front, the frigates Chungnam, Seoul, Incheon, Chungbuk, and the missile fast attack crafts Hansang-guk and Hong Si-wook. Photo by the Navy

In addition, six P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, known as 'submarine killers,' were acquired last year and are being operationalized, and eight AW-159 maritime operation helicopters, which have improved operational capabilities compared to the existing Lynx maritime operation helicopters, have also been deployed. The MH-60R maritime operation helicopters are also planned to be deployed operationally from mid-next year.

To commemorate the 10th West Sea Defense Day (on the 28th) and honor the sacrifice of the 55 warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps in the West Sea, as well as to establish a strong retaliatory posture against North Korea's maritime provocations, the Navy is conducting intensive maritime maneuver training across the East, West, and South Seas for three days until the 27th.

In particular, the West Sea 2nd Fleet training involved surface ships such as the Incheon (FFG-I), Seoul (FFG-II), and Chungnam (FFG-III) escort ships, guided missile fast attack crafts (450 tons), high-speed patrol boats (130 tons and 230 tons), and submarines. The training is conducted realistically to suit the operational environment and missions in the West Sea, including response drills to various provocation types such as enemy patrol vessels, unmanned aerial vehicles, and anti-ship missiles, as well as live-fire exercises for anti-ship, anti-air, and anti-submarine warfare.

Major General Lee Jae-seop, Commander of the 2nd Fleet's 2nd Maritime Battle Group, who presided over the 2nd Fleet training, said, "This training is to recall the spirit of certain victory shown by the 55 West Sea defenders and to firmly reinforce the resolute will to defend the West Sea once again. The 2nd Fleet is equipped with the highest level of military readiness to strongly retaliate with overwhelming firepower against any provocation by the enemy."

Meanwhile, amid the impeachment political crisis and strong confrontation with the opposition, the ruling party significantly elevated the memorial atmosphere by attending the Cheonan 46 Warriors Memorial Ceremony and related events in large numbers. This is interpreted as a move to differentiate themselves from the opposition, which is continuously pressing for impeachment. Immediately, the ruling party leadership including Kwon Young-se, Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee, Kim Sang-hoon, Chairman of the Policy Committee, and Lee Yang-su, Secretary-General, attended the memorial ceremony, and Kwon Seong-dong, Floor Leader, also paid respects at the Cheonan 46 Warriors' gravesite at the National Daejeon Cemetery on the same day.

Next-generation presidential candidates from the ruling party also joined. Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon visited the National Daejeon Cemetery the day before and emphasized, "The Republic of Korea must be a country that remembers the Cheonan warriors and the Yeonpyeong naval battle warriors until the end," adding, "Ultimately, what kind of country we are depends not only on 'what kind of figures we produce' but also on 'what kind of figures we remember and honor for a long time.'"

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, who visited the Navy 2nd Fleet Command on the day, urged on his Facebook the day before, "I hope the Democratic Party politicians who went out to street rallies shouting for 'Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment' will also join in commemorating the heroes this week at the Pyeongtaek 2nd Fleet and the Daejeon National Cemetery." Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will attend the 'Light of Immortality' lighting ceremony held at Cheonggye Square at 7:30 p.m. that day, an event honoring the victims of the Cheonan ship attack, the Yeonpyeong Island shelling, and the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong.

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