Canada remembers Incheon landing and its evolving role in the Indo-Pacific

Diplomacy

Published: 17 Sep. 2023, 18:31

Canada remembers Incheon landing and its evolving role in the Indo-Pacific

From left, Canadian Ambassador to Korea Tamara Mawhinney, Commander Meghan Coates, commanding officer of the HMCS Vancouver, and Captain Jill Marrack, defense attaché of Canada to Korea, pose inside the bridge of the frigate moored at the Port of Incheon on Saturday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Hundreds of Canadian naval officers on board the HMCS Vancouver replayed last week the tricky decisions their predecessors made in the amphibious landing in Incheon that changed the direction of the Korean War 73 years ago.

“We were able to experience something very similar to what these sailors experienced, by coming up and navigating through these waters,” Commander Meghan Coates, commanding officer of the vessel, said in speaking with the Korea JoongAng Daily on the ship on Saturday.

The Halifax-class frigate took part last Friday in the re-enactment of the influential Incheon landings of September 1950, which turned the tide of the war for South Korea.

The simulation was the largest in years, joined by some 20 vessels including those from Canada and the United States, and over 3,000 troops. Parts of the exercise were attended by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Korean War veterans and members of the general public.

“Canada sent the third-largest number of troops to Korea to fight against the communist aggression, at a time when nobody knew where Korea was or who Koreans were,” Sung Il, deputy minister of the office of military resources management of the Ministry of National Defense, said while addressing diplomats, military officials of both Canada and Korea, and the mayor of Incheon during a reception hosted on the deck of the HMCS Vancouver on Saturday.

“Canada has contributed to the freedom and stability in this region ever since, and I’d like to express our sincere appreciation, on behalf of the members of the Ministry of National Defense, for all the support and sacrifice made by Canadians for the freedom of South Korea,” he added.

To hear more about Canada's role in the Indo-Pacific then and now, and the role that both the men and women of Canada and Korea continue to play for peace and security in the region, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Commander Coates, Captain Jill Marrack, defense attaché of Canada to Korea, and Canadian Ambassador to Korea Tamara Mawhinney.

HMCS Vancouver participates in a re-enactment of the Incheon Landing Operation and a Fleet Review with Republic of Korea Navy Ships and USS America on Friday in Incheon. [ALISA STRELLEY/CANADIAN ARMED FORCES PHOTO]

Canada in Indo-Pacific

The Canadian participation in the Incheon landing operation kickstarted the growing cooperation on maritime security between Canada and Korea.

Although the two countries had yet to officially establish diplomatic ties, Canada sent 26,791 military men and women to fight in the 1950-53 Korean War, the third largest international contingent within the UN forces. Five-hundred and sixteen died during the war, and another 1,235 were injured or went missing.

Deployed to the Incheon operation were three ships of the Royal Canadian Navy: the HMCS Cayuga, Sioux and Athabaskan. Commanding the three destroyers and some South Korean naval vessels, Captain J.V. Brock successfully carried out the mission to escort the logistics supply, enforce coastal blockades and deal with enemy submarines.

They were part of over 75,000 UN troops and 261 naval vessels from seven navies, including from the U.S., France and Britain, that were deployed to the operation.

“As members of the military, it’s in our DNA to remember the service of those who have gone before us,” Marrack said, speaking on board the HMCS Vancouver on Saturday. “We don’t forget because the rules-based order we protected together has allowed both of our societies to prosper. We’ve done it together, and we’ll do it in the future.”

The Canadian naval presence in the waters around the Korean Peninsula has evolved in recent years as the leaders of the two countries designated maritime security as one of their priority areas of bilateral cooperation.

President Yoon and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in their meeting in September last year elevated the bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Maritime security, they announced, was to be one of their five key pillars of cooperation.

Less than a year later, Canada announced its Indo-Pacific strategy, in which it vowed to be “clear-eyed about the threats and risks” of the region and at the same time remain in dialogue with the countries in the region with whom it may not see eye-to-eye.

The HMCS Vancouver this summer became the third Canadian naval vessel to ever be deployed to the region. Starting this month, it joined Operation Neon, a Canadian military initiative to crack down on illicit activities in the region that violate the UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea, such as ship-to-ship fuel transfer.

“It may have been 70 years ago, but a lot of the geopolitical challenges still obtain in 2023,” said Mawhinney, speaking with her Canadian colleagues on board the HMCS Vancouver on Saturday. “The future of Canada depends on what’s happening in the Indo-Pacific. Canada’s national interests are engaged here.”

Commander Coates of HMCS Vancouver, second from right, and Lieutenant Commander Thwaites, executive officer of the vessel, third from right, pose for a picture with ROK Navy liaison officers during the re-enactment of the Incheon Landing Operations on Friday in Incheon. [ALISA STRELLEY/CANADIAN ARMED FORCES PHOTO]

Women in peace and security

It's no coincidence that the three Canadian leaders sitting in the commander’s cabin of the frigate during Saturday's interview were all women.

Following the UN Security Council’s first resolution on women, peace and security in 2000, the Canadian government has put forward an initiative to increase the participation of women in UN peace operations, currently in its second installment to last through 2027.

“The inclusion of women in a peace process was found to have increased the chance of the peace agreement lasting at least two years by 20 percent and at least 15 years by 35 percent,” said Marrack.

The Royal Canadian Navy was the first among Commonwealth navies to recruit women into the permanent force. Women could start to serve in the Canadian Naval Reserve from 1951 and in the regular navy from 1955.

Throughout their careers, Coates, Mawhinney and Marrack said they witnessed an increase of women at the helm of Canada’s security policies.

“Some of the sailors on board the HMCS Vancouver would be starting their career with a female leadership, and this really resonated with me when I took over command,” Coates said.

Around 20 of the vessel’s 240 officers are women, a visible improvement from the earlier days when some female naval officers would find themselves as the only woman on board their vessel.

“There's been a real effort across the board in Canada to see feminism anchored in our foreign policies, including in security and international assistance,” Mawhinney said. “And when I say feminism, it really is about inclusiveness, making sure that all the solutions are reflective of Canada’s demography today, that all participants in security debates can see themselves in solutions that are being proposed.”

Around 11 percent of the Royal Canadian Navy are women, compared to about 3 percent of the Korean naval officers.

All having had years of experiences in juggling life at home and abroad, and life with family and work, the three women sitting in the commander’s cabin on HMCS Vancouver agreed how difficult it can be to try to strike a balance.

“I always say there’s never a balance,” Coates said.

She’s been deployed to the Arabian Sea and to counter-terrorism missions off the coast of Africa, and has taken on other circumnavigating missions around the world.

“Unfortunately, one is going to be a bit more important than the other,” said the commander, who is married with two kids. “Right now I am deployed away from my family, so work is just a little bit more of a priority right now. But that changes when I get home and my family is more important than my work. I think it’s all about learning how to prioritize that throughout your career.”

In her conversations with Korean female naval officers during her recent visit, Coates said there was almost an instant camaraderie.

“Seeing a fellow woman doing a similar job outside of your own organization, that’s been a really positive experience,” she said.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]