Diplomatic corps honored for participation in Incheon landing operation

Diplomacy

Published: 17 Sep. 2023, 20:08 Updated: 17 Sep. 2023, 20:22

Diplomatic corps honored for participation in Incheon landing operation

Members of the diplomatic corps, Incheon city officials and Republic of Korea Navy officers take a commemorative photo during the 73rd Incheon Landing Operations Victory Ceremony at Oakwood Premier Incheon on Friday. The event was attended by Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, Naval Operations Adm. Lee Jong-ho and diplomats of 13 countries that took part in the Korean War including Greek Ambassador Ekaterini Loupas, South African Ambassador Zenani N. Dlamini, Philippines Ambassador Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega, Thai Ambassador Witchu Vejjajiva, Indian Ambassador Amit Kumar, Netherlands Ambassador-designate Peter van der Vliet and Italian Ambassador-designate Emilia Gatto.

Members of the diplomatic corps of countries that participated in the Incheon landing operation 73 years ago were honored in an event Friday commemorating the decisive turning point during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Ambassadors, deputy heads of missions and defense attachés of 13 countries took part in the "73rd Incheon Landing Operations Victory Ceremony," also attended by over 50 Incheon city government and military officials, at Oakwood Premier Incheon in Songdo in the major port city.

The event, under the theme "Remember heroes of the day!" was co-organized by the Incheon Metropolitan City and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy, with the Korea JoongAng Daily as a media partner.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lee Jong-ho gave welcome and keynote speeches honoring the sacrifices of the countries who found with the allied forces during the Korean War and highlighted the significance of the Incheon landing operation.

The landing of over 75,000 UN troops at Incheon from Sept. 15 to 19 took place four months after the onset of the Korean War, which saw 22 countries send a total of 2.16 million military and medical personnel to South Korea's aid, of whom over 40,000 were killed or went missing in action and 114,900 were wounded.

The amphibious landing operation in Incheon, also known as Operation Chromite, was carried out under the command of U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and played a pivotal role in reversing the tide of the war, compelling the invading North Korean army to retreat.

The Boys and Girls Chorus of Incheon City's Seo District, which was formed 20 years ago in 2003, and the ROK Navy Band gave performances at the event.

The ROK Navy Band was launched in 1942, and their performances included a blend of traditional and modern Korean music, infusing jazz with military brass and bringing the sounds of a traditional flutist and pansori (traditional Korean narrative singing). One soldier gave a traditional fan dance, and songs included Western and Korean classics such as "Fly me to the Moon" and "Arirang arariyo," and diplomats clapped along to trot favorite "Drink Makgeolli."

Clockwise from left, Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar and his wife Surabhi Kumar; Admiral Lee Jong-ho, chief of naval operations of Korea, and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, center; and the British Deputy Head of Mission in Seoul Gareth Weir, far right, applaud at the conclusion of a cultural performance at the 73rd Incheon Landing Operations Victory Ceremony at Oakwood Premier Incheon on Friday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Over 20 diplomats and their spouses from Greece, Australia, South Africa, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Germany, Canada, Colombia, Britain, the United States, the Netherlands and Italy took part in the joint Incheon city and naval event. They also weighed in on their countries' participation in three-year war and the enduring bilateral relations maintained with South Korea some seven decades later.

"I think today's event was very significant in that while looking at the shared sacrifices from the past, we were able to see how the valor and the courage of those who fought in the Korean War have helped tremendously to building a new modern country, modern Korea, with whom the Philippines, like many other countries, share the same values in promoting democracy, human rights and justice around the world," Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega, ambassador of the Philippines to Korea, said after the event.

Gareth Weir, the British Embassy's deputy head of mission, said he was impressed by "Incheon's modernity and ambition," adding he "appreciated how much the city has transformed in the past 70 years, including the reclamation of the area where this event took place."

Greek Ambassador Ekaterini Loupas said he appreciates that "Korean people express their gratitude to the nations that have participated in the war" to this day, noting that "bilateral relations are so strong because this kind of interaction creates a deeper bond, unifying all of us."

Thailand appreciates that the "Korean public sector and the media sector still remember the sacrifice and the joint efforts between Korea and Thailand, and the countries that sent troops to fight in the Korean War," said Thai Ambassador Witchu Vejjajiva.

Indian Ambassador Amit Kumar in turn noted that President Yoon Suk Yeol visited India last week to attend the G20 Summit hosted in New Delhi, noting that the various areas of cooperation discussed during the bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including in defense, dates back to the relations forged during the Korean War. He stressed that the two countries also agreed to strengthen ties for the prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

Earlier in the day, the Korean government celebrated the Incheon landing operation, recognizing it as a major factor in changing the course of the Korean War following the invasion by the North.

A traditional flutist and singer with the ROK Navy Band perform at the event.

President Yoon took part in a government ceremony on Friday morning to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation, held aboard the ROK Navy's Nojeokbong landing ship at an Incheon port. It was attended by some 1,300 soldiers, as well as war veterans from the United States and Canada, Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and Korean top military brass including Adm. Lee.

"Based on our strong national defense capabilities, we will build peace through strength and protect liberal democracy," Yoon said at the ceremony, promising to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats with "overwhelming" capabilities.

Yoon described the Incheon landing operation, which was said to have had only a one in 5,000 chance of success, as "a historic operation that prevented communism on the Korean Peninsula and a great victory that shines among the world's warriors," according to the presidential office.

"The Incheon Landing Operation remains a proud history of the victory of liberal democracy over communist totalitarian forces and a valuable asset that the free world should remember," he added.

Yoon said that the operation should be "elevated to an international event where we remember the indomitable courage, fighting spirit and sacrificial spirit shown by our ROK Armed Forces and UN Forces in the face of communist invasion."

This marked the first time for a sitting president to host a ceremony commemorating the Incheon landing operation and also the first time that both a victory ceremony and a landing operation demonstration were held aboard a sailing ship.

The ROKS Marado, a South Korean Navy, Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, was joined by the U.S. Navy's USS America supercarrier and the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Vancouver took part in the naval inspection.

The Incheon Metropolitan Government likewise spent 2.7 billion won ($2 million) to hold commemorations from Sept. 14 to 19, an almost 13-fold increase from previous events marking the landing and the city's growth.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a government ceremony on the Nojeokbong landing ship off the Incheon coast on Friday to mark the 73rd anniversary of a historic amphibious landing operation in the 1950-53 Korean War. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]