79th Anniversary of Navy Establishment... "Inheriting the Spirit of Founding"

President Yang Yong-mo: "Trust to the People, Fear to the Enemy"

The Navy celebrated its 79th anniversary. The Navy commemorates November 11, 1945, when Admiral Son Won-il, the first Chief of Naval Operations, and others established the Haebang Byeongdan to protect the maritime domain, as the Navy's founding day.

Yonhap News

On the 11th, the Navy announced that it held a ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of its founding at the Open Contribution Green Park near the site of the Haebang Byeongdan (海防兵團) formation ceremony, the Navy's origin, in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

In his commemorative speech, Chief of Naval Operations Yang Yong-mo said, "The founding veterans and senior comrades established the Haebang Byeongdan with the noble mission of 'We will protect our seas,' and for over 70 years, they have defended our seas with their blood." He added, "If we fail to respond to the changing demands of the times, such as the decline in military service resources, the achievements we have made will be washed away without a trace by the incoming waves." He emphasized, "To fulfill the mission of creating a Navy and Marine Corps that earn the trust of the people and instill fear in the enemy, we must inherit the founding spirit and renew our determination for certain victory."

The ceremony was attended by founding veterans, former Chiefs of Naval Operations, Seong Il-jong, Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, heads of related organizations, and Navy and Marine Corps personnel.

Prior to the ceremony, a reenactment event of posting recruitment posters from the Navy's founding period was held. Retired Admiral Park Chan-geuk, a third class graduate of the Korea Naval Academy who served in the early Navy, and Seong Il-jong, Chairman of the National Defense Committee, posted the recruitment posters from the founding period, while Chief of Naval Operations Yang Yong-mo and Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan posted current recruitment posters side by side.