Photo : YONHAP News
Events to mark the nation’s 76th Armed Forces Day were held, including a ceremony at the Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province as well as a downtown military parade on Tuesday.
Organized by the defense ministry, the morning’s ceremony featured some five-thousand troops and 83 types of roughly 340 equipment, with focus on affirming the commitment to immediately and strongly respond to enemy provocation to the end.
The proceedings also featured for the first time ever South Korea’s own Hyunmoo-5 missile, a centerpiece of the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), capable of destroying underground bunkers, as well as a flyby by the U.S. B1-B Lancer bomber.
Following the ceremony, the troops and military equipment made their way to Sungnyemun Gate in central Seoul for a military parade that started from the Gate to Gwanghwamun on Sejong Daero. The Hyunmoo-5 also made an appearance in the afternoon parade.
This year marks the first time in 40 years for a military parade marking Armed Forces Day to be held for two consecutive years since the Chun Doo-hwan government in the 1980s.