Cheonan victims honored on the one-year anniversary
On the one-year anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan on Mar. 26, many memorial events to remember the noble sacrifice of 46 sailors who were killed in the deadly sinking of warship and Naval Warrant Officer Han Joo-ho, who died during the rescue operation for the missing Cheonan sailors, have taken place across the country.
South Korean government's formal commemoration of the Cheonan incident's first anniversary, which was organized by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, took place at Daejeon National Cemetery. Some 2,500 attendants, including the President Lee Myung-bak, leaders of political parties, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and bereaved families of dead sailors, participated in the ceremony to honor Cheonan victims.
South Korean Army, Navy and Air Force paid their tribute to 46 sailors and Han by hoisting the national flag at half mast. Soldiers read aloud names of each sailors killed and Han written on the banner, which was put up in each military unit, with an instruction from Roll Call broadcasting.
In particular, all naval fleets in the nation implemented a large-scale maritime combat exercise for three days since Mar. 25 to strengthen the will to defend the sea.
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| Two days before the one-year anniversary of the Cheonan incident, citizen lay flowers to pay their respects to Cheonan victims at a makeshift mourning alter built on Cheongye Plaza in central Seoul. |
Forty-six high school students attending schools where 46 sailors had graduated have reenacted a naval operation at the time of the sinking by boarding a Patrol Combat Corvette at the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, for two days from Mar. 26. They also participated in a ceremony unveiling a memorial monument to the 46 sailors at Baeknyeong Island on Mar. 27.
A ceremony unveiling a bronze statue of Han will be taking place at a maritime park in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang, on Mar. 30. In addition, the first Han Joo-ho award ceremony is planned to recognize the best special forces commando of the year.
A tribute music concert was held at KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Hall on Mar. 25 in Seoul.
Rok MoD
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South Korea unveils White Paper on Cheonan
A day before the one-year anniversary of the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, South Korean government published the 308-page white paper on the attack of the Cheonan.
The Souths' military had enough intelligence to prevent the deadly sinking of a warship by North Korea, but failed to raise its alert status on North Korean submarines, a paper said on Mar. 24.
The 1,200-ton patrol ship sank just south of the Yellow Sea border with the North on Mar. 26 last year, causing the deaths of 46 sailors. Two months later, an international investigation confirmed that a torpedo fired from a midget North Korean submarine was responsible for the attack, a charge Pyongyang still denies.
About a half day before the attack, the South's military acknowledged that several North Korean submarines disappeared from radar screens after leaving their base near the Yellow Sea border, but no action was taken, said the paper.
The white paper, which the Institute of Military History Compilation wrote under government's supervision, describes the process of the sinking of the corvette after it was torpedoed by the North's submarine and how South Korea handled the situation. The paper also includes search and rescue operation, probe on the incident and its result, treatment and compensation for killed sailors and their surviving families, and other related issues.
Seoul has been making the paper since June last year. The project got under way as South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak ordered a month earlier to record the government's all detailed effort in recovering the Cheonan incident in order to gather public opinion, reinforce security competence and fully prepare for security readiness posture through lessons from the incident.
Experts and officials from the Blue House, the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Coast Guard contributed in making the paper. They also received expertised opinions and advice from scholars and professors in private sectors.
"South Korean government is currently carrying out countermeasures through lessons and tasks learned from the Cheonan incident," a government official said. "In particular, we will build advanced and strong military by pushing ahead actively with the new Defense Reform 307."
RoK MoD