At 11 a.m. on the 25th, about 700 people including Mayor Park Hyungjun, war veterans, bereaved families, military, veterans' organizations, and civic groups attended at City Hall Grand Auditorium.
Mayor Park: "We will develop Busan into a city leading Korea's freedom and economy and surely honor the noble sacrifice of the war veterans."
The city of Busan will hold the "74th Anniversary of the Korean War" event at 11 a.m. on the 25th in the main auditorium of City Hall.
This event is hosted by the city to reflect on the historical lessons of the Korean War and to honor the sacrifice and dedication of the war veterans.
Approximately 700 people, including Mayor Park Hyungjoon, war veterans and their families, heads of major organizations, military officials, and members of veterans and civic organizations, will attend the event.
The ceremony will proceed in the following order: national ceremony, awarding of military medals and commendations, commemorative speech, retrospective speech, screening of a Korean War promotional video, commemorative performance, singing of the Korean War Song, and three cheers for victory.
At the entrance of the venue, a photo zone with the theme "For This Land, This Sea, This Sky" will be set up to commemorate the event.
In particular, this year's event will feature a video introducing the "Yeongdo Guerrilla Unit," the unsung heroes of the Korean War who, without military serial numbers or ranks, infiltrated enemy lines and carried out unconventional warfare missions with the sole determination to save the nation.
The "Yeongdo Guerrilla Unit" was a guerrilla force established in March 1951 under the leadership of Army Major Han Cheolmin, with training grounds and headquarters secretly set up by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Taejongdae, Yeongdo. The unit was comprised of 1,200 young anti-communist volunteers from the three eastern coastal provinces, including refugees from Hamgyeongnam-do, Hamgyeongbuk-do, and northern Gangwon-do who had fled south during the 1.4 Retreat.
After three to four months of special training, the unit was deployed to the Korean War (unconventional warfare) without military serial numbers or ranks. Over the course of two years and one month, they achieved results such as eliminating about 4,800 enemy soldiers, destroying 855 military communication facilities, and capturing over 1,100 weapons.
In December 1952, as the atmosphere for the armistice agreement ripened, the unit was disbanded. Even after the war, documents about the unit were not disclosed, so the identities of the unit and its members remained largely unknown.
Notably, about 100 active-duty soldiers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force will attend the ceremony, and the City Boys and Girls Choir will perform a commemorative piece, further enhancing the significance of the event by passing on the proud history of the Korean War, which defended freedom and peace, to future generations.
Mayor Park Hyungjoon said, "Busan, which served as the provisional capital during the Korean War, is a proud city that turned the tide of a desperate war into hope," adding, "We will continue to develop Busan as a leading city of freedom and economy in Korea, and we will surely repay the noble sacrifice of the war veterans."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
