15th Anniversary Cheonanham 46 Warriors Memorial Ceremony "So Their Sacrifice Is Not in Vain"

"We Will Ensure Their Noble Sacrifice Was Not in Vain"

On the 15th anniversary of the Cheonan ship sinking incident, in which 46 of our soldiers sacrificed their lives, the Navy held a memorial ceremony attended by bereaved families and veterans.

On the morning of the 26th, the Navy announced that the '15th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for the 46 Cheonan Heroes' was held under the supervision of Commander Heo Seong-jae (Major General), Commander of the 2nd Fleet, in front of the Cheonan Ship 46 Heroes Memorial Monument at the Navy 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The ceremony was attended by over 200 people including the bereaved families of the 46 Cheonan heroes, veterans, members of the National Assembly, the Cheonan Foundation, commanders and staff of the 2nd Fleet, officials from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and veterans associations.

On the 25th, the 7th West Sea Defense Day, Sergeant Oh Seong-tak, who was the armorer of the Cheonan ship, is paying respects at the Cheonan Ship 46 Warriors Cemetery in the National Daejeon National Cemetery.
Photo by Kang Jin-hyung, Daejeon aymsdream@

Chief of Naval Operations Yang Yong-mo conveyed in a condolence message, “The Republic of Korea Navy and Marine Corps have never forgotten the 46 Cheonan heroes for a single moment and will never forget them in the future,” paying tribute to the noble dedication and sacrifice of the 46 Cheonan heroes and offering words of comfort and respect to their families and veterans.

Commander Heo Seong-jae also stated in his memorial address, “The newly commissioned new Cheonan ship and other vessels of the 2nd Fleet will complete their missions so that the sacred sacrifices of our comrades will never be in vain, and will strongly retaliate against any enemy provocations to avenge our comrades.”

After the memorial ceremony, the bereaved families and veterans toured the Cheonan ship exhibition facility and the new frigate Cheonan (FFG-II), recalling the patriotic spirit of the heroes who defended the West Sea. Major Kim Jae-hwan (Jin), the operations officer of the new Cheonan (FFG-II) who attended the ceremony, said, “We constantly remember the ‘Cheonan’ that sank 15 years ago due to North Korea’s surprise torpedo attack and the atrocities committed by North Korea. With the mindset of always going into battle alongside the 46 Cheonan heroes, we will definitely defend the West Sea and the NLL, and thoroughly retaliate against enemy provocations.”

Meanwhile, the Navy will hold a memorial ceremony for the late Lieutenant Han Ju-ho, who died during the rescue operation at the time of the Cheonan ship sinking incident, on the 27th at Jinhaeru Beach Park in Changwon, Gyeongnam, under the supervision of Brigadier General Lee Jong-i, Commander of the Special Warfare Brigade.