DAEJEON, South Korea - South Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Tae-heum led a delegation to the National Daejeon Cemetery on Wednesday, March 27th, to commemorate the 10th annual West Sea Protection Day. The governor and approximately 30 officials, including Vice Governors Park Jung-joo and Jeon Hyeong-sik, alongside leaders from local veterans' groups, paid their respects at the memorial sections dedicated to the Second Yeonpyeong Naval Battle and the Cheonan warship sinking.
The solemn visit saw Governor Kim and his delegation lay flowers and burn incense at the main memorial tower before proceeding to the individual gravesites of the fallen servicemen. These heroes made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the nation's western maritime border.
Following the tributes, Governor Kim penned a message in the guestbook, expressing profound remembrance for the fallen. His words, "Heroes who defended the West Sea, names that will be forever remembered. We will never forget their spirit of sacrifice," underscored the enduring gratitude for their service.
South Chungcheong Province holds a particularly poignant connection to the West Sea incidents, as several brave servicemen who hailed from the region perished in these events. Among those remembered were Chief Petty Officer Han Sang-guk, a casualty of the Second Yeonpyeong Naval Battle, and eight individuals lost in the Cheonan tragedy: Chief Master Sergeant Choi Han-kwon, Chief Petty Officers Kim Gyeong-su, Min Pyeong-gi, and Park Seok-won, Staff Sergeant Park Bo-ram, Sergeant First Class Lee Sang-min, and Corporal Kim Seon-ho.
West Sea Protection Day, officially designated in 2016, is observed annually on the fourth Friday of March. This significant day serves to honor the 55 personnel who lost their lives in three key events: the Second Yeonpyeong Naval Battle in June 2002 (resulting in the deaths of six South Korean sailors), the Cheonan sinking in March 2010 (claiming the lives of 46 sailors), and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November 2010 (which killed two marines and two civilians). The commemoration aims to instill a strong sense of national security and reinforce the collective will to safeguard South Korea's territory.
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