Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Military reflects on its resolute will to build a strong military backed by science and technology

Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps demonstrate strong combat power

Visitors touched by the voices of veterans, restored through AI technology

The event started when President Yoon Suk Yeol and the first lady made their entrance at the event venue together with top commanders of the ROK and the US armed services, distinguished soldiers in nurturing strong forces, and cadets. They were followed by the entrance of service members who maintain the operational posture on the front and in the rear and are committed to serving as the people’s military, including the Commander of the Army TIGER Battalion, the chief of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Operation Team, Naval men of merit who overcame COVID-19, Air Force’s KF-21 test flight pilots, and Marine Corps’ men of merit who overcome disasters.

Lee Bong-sik, veteran of the 1st Marine Corps, who participated in the Korean War, and Doctor Kim Sang-man, son of the late Army Colonel Kim Dong-soo who contributed to the development of the K9 self-propelled howitzer and who currently works for the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), also entered with President Yoon.

The highlights of the event were a variety of demonstrations and aerial force flights showing the ROK armed forces’ skills. The special warfare soldiers, which included about 50 soldiers from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the US Army, performed joint high-altitude dives into the event venue, which conveyed a variety of themes and messages. They received loud applause from the audience with their demonstrations of advanced techniques, from tactical flights to rapid dives, aerial maneuvers, banner/flag dives, diamond-shaped/six-step formation flights.

The aerial force review demonstrated the military’s firm will to defend the country. With the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter in the lead, 23 helicopters from the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps, including KUH-1 Surion, CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk, Lynx, and MUH-1 Marineon, captured the attention of the audience. Those fly-bys were followed by a performance by the Air Force’s E-737 Peace Eye airborne early warning and control aircraft and the Navy’s P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft, flying together with the US Air Force’s A-10 attack aircraft. Fighter jets, including the F-15K, F-35A, KF-16, F-5, FA-50, and US F-16, also flew across the sky, emitting five different colors of smoke. The aerobatic stunts of the Air Force’s aerobatic team, the Black Eagles, elicited shouts of excitement from the audience.

The climax of the event was the combat skill demonstrations by the joint special martial arts team, which consists of the special unit soldiers of each armed service. With shouts of determination, they demonstrated their strength through 74 forms (poomsae), sparring (gyeorugi) with bare hands and sword, and power breaking, speed breaking and special techniques (gyeokpa), marking the 74th anniversary of the Armed Forces Day.

At the event, 11 units, including the 5th Army Corps, earned the glory of a presidential citation. Major General Kim Gyeong-jung, commander of the 15th Infantry Division, Kang Seol-muk, director of the Research Center for Defense Test of the ADD, and Captain Yang Jong-ho, commander of Navy Squadron 52, were awarded medals. Jeong Ji-won, lieutenant major of the Air Training Command, and Lee Wung-han, sergeant major of the Sangseung Unit of the 2nd Marine Division, were awarded a medal and a presidential citation, respectively.

By Hyun-woo, Seo <lgiant61@dema.mi.kr>

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