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Acting president vows 'swift, overwhelming response' to North's provocations on West Sea Defense Day

Published: 28 Mar. 2025, 14:16 Updated: 28 Mar. 2025, 17:16

SEO JI-EUN
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Acting President Han Duck-soo addresses a ceremony at a national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon on March 28 to mark the 10th anniversary of the commemoration day for 55 troops who died in three major clashes with North Korea in the West Sea, comprising an inter-Korean naval skirmish in 2002, North Korea's torpedo attack on the Cheonan corvette in 2010 and its shelling of the border island of Yeonpyeong in the same year. In 2016, the government designated the fourth Friday of March "West Sea Defense Day." [YONHAP]

Acting President Han Duck-soo on Friday vowed "a swift and overwhelming response to any provocation from North Korea" as the nation marked the 10th West Sea Defense Day with a ceremony honoring the 55 service members who died defending South Korea's western sea border.

West Sea Defense Day, observed on the fourth Friday of March each year since 2016, commemorates three bloody naval skirmishes — the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002, the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan in 2010 and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island later that year — and reaffirms the nation's determination to defend its sovereignty.

Han condemned North Korea as the "most backward regime on Earth" which "continues to threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the world."

"The North Korean regime pursues only the succession of power, and focuses on its nuclear and missile development while neglecting the miserable lives of its people," he said. "Pyongyang has continued to carry out threatening provocations by launching missiles and jamming GPS signals, in addition to defining inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other" and fortifying its land."

He then continued that North Korea is "plotting new forms of provocations" while improving its weapons systems targeting the South through its illegal arms trade with Russia.

Han sought to assure the nation that the government will firmly maintain its security posture by "further strengthening the South Korea-U.S. alliance and solidarity with the international community" so that the North "does not dare challenge" the South.

Waters near the western maritime border have been a flashpoint between the two Koreas.

The 2002 clash left six South Korean sailors killed.

In March 2010, the North torpedoed a South Korean warship near the boundary, killing 46 sailors on board. Another service member died during rescue operations.

In November of the same year, North Korean artillery hit the South's border island of Yeonpyeong, killing two Marines and two civilians.

The ceremony also saw rare bipartisan unity, with leaders of both the conservative and liberal parties issuing messages paying their respects. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung conspicuously attended the event for the first time since assuming his post in August 2022.

Lee's more assertive moves related to national security are seen as part of a strategy to appeal to male voters in their 20s and 30s, possibly with an eye on a future presidential bid, according to the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Lee called for the creation of a “quasi-four-branch” military system by granting independence to the Marine Corps on March 2. Two days later, he pledged to support and foster the domestic defense industry.

During Friday’s ceremony, Lee — often viewed as pro-China by the conservative bloc — also criticized Beijing for installing steel structures in the Korea–China Provisional Measures Zone, calling it a violation of territory that had been “defended with blood and sweat.”

However, as Lee exited the ceremony, a bereaved family member attempted to confront him in protest. A staff member quickly de-escalated the situation, preventing a physical altercation.

Update, March 28, 2025: Recast headline, added comments by Han Duck-soo, details about Lee Jae-myung's recent statements and attendance at the ceremony.

BY SEO JI-EUN, YONHAP [[email protected]]