No Mention of 'Missing Soldiers Shot' on Armed Forces Day

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the 25th, the 72nd Armed Forces Day commemorative event was held at the Army Special Warfare Command (Special Forces Command) in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, hosted by the Ministry of National Defense. This is the first time in the history of the Armed Forces that the Armed Forces Day ceremony was held at the Army Special Warfare Command.

Amid the spreading repercussions of the shooting and killing incident of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official by North Korean forces, this event was held under the theme "Future Armed Forces Creating Peace." Considering that this year's Armed Forces Day fell on Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day), the event was held earlier than usual.

Since 2017, the Ministry of National Defense has selected the venue for the Armed Forces Day ceremony by considering the theme of the event and the symbolism of each military branch. In 2017, it was held at the Navy 2nd Fleet Command (Pyeongtaek), in 2018 at the War Memorial of Korea (Seoul), and last year at the Air Force 11th Fighter Wing (Daegu).

President Moon Jae-in, prior to the main event, boarded a domestically developed tactical command vehicle?the first time for a president to ride in such a vehicle instead of the traditional official car?and entered the venue alongside domestically produced advanced equipment such as unmanned tactical vehicles, wheeled armored vehicles, and tactical drones.

Minister of National Defense Suh Wook emphasized in his welcoming speech, "Our armed forces personnel risked infection during the war against COVID-19 to protect the lives and health of the people," adding, "Going forward, our military will be a strong pillar safeguarding national security and the lives and safety of the people." Although the Ministry of National Defense announced the day before that "North Korean forces deliberately shot the missing Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official and poured oil on the body to burn it," there was no mention of this during the speech.

In his commemorative address, he stated, "Our military will maintain a full military readiness posture to protect the lives and safety of the people," and "If North Korea threatens this, we will respond decisively." He also added, "Through today's Armed Forces Day event, the public will trust our military even more."

The event proceeded with the participation of color guards from each military branch and elite special warfare soldiers, including the national anthem, awarding of medals, commemorative speeches, special warfare videos from each branch, aerial power maneuvers, and special forces personnel helicopter rappelling. This year's event focused on showcasing the strong image of our elite special warfare units, including the Special Forces Command, to the public. It also presented the future armed forces that will create peace. According to the Blue House, this ceremony embodies the strong will of the future armed forces to create peace through scientific advancement and elite training, beyond their fundamental mission of protecting peace amid any threats.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, pre- and post-event activities were omitted this year. The number of participating troops and equipment was minimized. In particular, the number of invited guests was drastically reduced from an average of about 2,800 over the past three years to fewer than 100 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Invited guests were also strictly required to follow the Central Disease Control Headquarters' quarantine guidelines, including maintaining a distance of more than 2 meters between individuals and wearing masks.

Instead of a large number of participants, the Ministry of National Defense enabled public participation through live broadcasts and online streaming. The event was broadcast live to the public via terrestrial broadcasters such as KBS, Defense TV, and the Ministry of National Defense and Defense Media Agency's SNS channels (Facebook and YouTube).