[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] From this year, the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong will be recorded as a 'victory' in the Navy's history. Additionally, the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong Memorial Monument (戰蹟碑) will be renamed as the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong Victory Monument (戰勝碑).
On the 29th, according to the Navy, a '20th Anniversary Victory Commemoration Ceremony of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong' will be held in the morning at the 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, presided over by Navy Chief of Staff Lee Jong-ho. About 300 people, including participating soldiers, bereaved families, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, current and former members of the National Assembly, will attend this event, which is the first since the name change.
The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong broke out around 10 a.m. on June 29, 2002, when two North Korean patrol boats crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and launched a preemptive surprise attack on our Navy's Chamsuri 357-class patrol boat. Our Navy responded immediately, and six soldiers, including Major Yoon Young-ha, were killed in action. The North Korean forces also suffered about 30 casualties, and their patrol boats fled engulfed in flames.
Marking the 20th anniversary this year by recording it as a victory history is intended to enhance the significance of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong by recognizing it as a victory in which the resolute will to defend the West Sea Northern Limit Line (NLL) was demonstrated despite the North Korean army's surprise attack and the willingness to face death.
The difference between a memorial monument and a victory monument is that the former commemorates the fact that a battle took place at a location, while the latter commemorates the fact that the battle was won.
After the victory commemoration ceremony, a sea wreath-laying event will be held for the first time, where bereaved families will board missile patrol boats named after the six fallen heroes. Earlier, on the 17th, sea wreath-laying ceremonies were held for the Hansang-guk and Hwang Do-hyun ships, and on this day, wreath-laying is scheduled for the Yoon Young-ha, Jo Cheon-hyung, Seo Hu-won, and Park Dong-hyuk ships.
The bereaved families will board the missile patrol boats named after each fallen soldier and release flowers into the sea to console the spirits of the deceased, while the crew members of the missile patrol boats will also participate in the wreath-laying to honor their comrades. During the wreath-laying, a memorial poem by poet Oh Se-young, an honorary professor at Seoul National University, titled "Your eyes have become stars shining in the night sky of the homeland," will be read aloud.
Meanwhile, the six heroes who died in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong have all been resurrected as the names of missile patrol boats and are assigned to the 2nd Fleet, guarding the West Sea NLL. Starting with the Yoon Young-ha ship on June 28, 2007, the Hansang-guk, Jo Cheon-hyung, Hwang Do-hyun, Seo Hu-won, and Park Dong-hyuk ships were launched sequentially.
The missile patrol boats have improved performance compared to the existing Chamsuri-class patrol boats. They have a maximum speed of 40 knots (74 km/h), are equipped with 76mm and 40mm naval guns, and carry the domestically produced Haeseong anti-ship missile with a range of 150 km. They are equipped with a domestically developed combat system including 3D radar, providing powerful detection and tracking capabilities, and survival is maximized through the installation of fireproof bulkheads and application of stealth techniques.
Twenty years after the outbreak of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, the West Sea is now guarded not only by 450-ton missile patrol boats but also by new main warships with greatly enhanced combat capabilities, such as new frigates (FFG, 3,100 tons) and new high-speed boats (PKMR, 230 tons).
The Navy stated, "The victorious history, including the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, is a precious spiritual asset for Navy personnel," and added, "The Navy is maintaining a mental readiness posture and firmly upholding the will to protect the NLL."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
