This Year’s Military Parade on Armed Forces Day [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

A military parade commemorating Armed Forces Day will be held for the second consecutive year. The Armed Forces Day parade was held last year for the first time in 10 years since 2013. Having the parade two years in a row is unusual. The parade was held almost every year during the Chun Doo-hwan administration but was later reduced to intervals of 5 or 10 years.

The 75th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces and Armed Forces Day celebration took place on the afternoon of the 26th along Sejong-daero in Jung-gu, Seoul, where the three-axis system equipment of the armed forces conducted a parade. Photo by Joint Press Corps

원본보기 아이콘

On the 13th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the parade will take place in Seoul on October 1, the 76th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces.

An official from the Armed Forces Day event planning team said, "Among OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, 13 including France hold large-scale events including parades every year," adding, "We consider this event as an opportunity to report to the public on our defense posture and capabilities, much like how companies announce their business performance."

On Armed Forces Day morning, a commemorative ceremony will be held at Seongnam Seoul Airport, and in the afternoon, the parade will proceed along Sejong-daero between Sungnyemun and Gwanghwamun. Following a parade of national heroes, aerial and ground forces will mobilize, and foot units including the UN Honor Guard and the US 8th Army will march. A "March with the People" involving specialized high school students and attending citizens is also planned. During the parade, a performance raising the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag) will take place at Woldae in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, where the flag was planted during the liberation of Seoul in the Korean War.

Additionally, the Ministry of National Defense will hold the "K-Military Festival" from October 3 to October 11. This festival consolidates defense-related events that were previously held separately by each military branch in September and October. During this period, 31 defense-related events including seminars, forums, defense industry exhibitions, military branch events and training, and regional security events will be held.

The Korea-UN Command Member States Defense Ministers Meeting will be held on September 10, followed by the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) on September 11-12. Events such as the Korea-US Alliance Concert, Ministry of National Defense Minister’s Taekwondo Competition, military song choir contest, civil-military harmony survival competition, Incheon Landing Operation victory ceremony, National Defense Art Exhibition, Military Family Day commemorative event, Seoul Liberation commemorative event, and 38th Parallel breakthrough commemorative event are also being prepared.

From September 27 to 30, military culture experience events and commemorative concerts will be held at the Yongsan Children’s Garden in Seoul. A Ministry of National Defense official stated that the total budget for the events will be within 7.98 billion KRW, approved by the National Assembly last year.

Regarding concerns about budget increases due to the parade, the official said, "Even last year, the parade cost about one-tenth of the budget used for the commemorative ceremony," adding, "The parade does not require stage expenses, so it does not cost much."

Participation in the Armed Forces Day events can be applied for through the official event planning team website (https://k-military.kr) until the 31st of this month.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.