Eight heads of state to be invited to Incheon landing commemoration next year

Incheon plans to invite heads of state from eight nations that participated in the Incheon landing to mark the 75th anniversary of the military operation next year.

South Korean Navy officers and sailors hold the flags of the nations that fought under the United Nations Command during the 1950-53 Korean War as they march down a street in Jung District, central Incheon, as part of a parade to commemorate the success of Operation Chromite on Sept. 11, 2024. [YONHAP]

Incheon plans to invite heads of state from eight nations that participated in the Incheon landing to mark the 75th anniversary of the military operation next year.

The Incheon city government announced Tuesday it will expand the annual event globally by inviting heads of state, mayors and veterans from the eight UN member countries that directly contributed forces to the landing of Sept. 15, 1950, code-named Operation Chromite.

The eight participating nations are South Korea, the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

Next year’s anniversary event will be held under the themes of commemoration, peace and the future and will feature an unveiling ceremony for a new sculpture dedicated to the landing operation, the city government said.

The Incheon Peace and Security Forum, held as part of the commemorative event, will include keynote speeches from heads of state, along with sessions involving governors and mayors from different countries.

The city also announced plans to establish a system to manage data, including photos submitted by war veterans, to honor their sacrifices.

Both the city and the South Korean government have annually honored the UN forces that contributed to the 1950 landing operation, with President Yoon Suk Yeol attending a ceremony aboard the landing ship ROKS Nojeokbong off the coast of Incheon last year to mark the 73rd anniversary of the historic amphibious landing.

This year, the 74th anniversary of the landing operation was marked by 30 ceremonies, memorial events and civic gatherings held throughout the city in September.

For the 75th anniversary next year, the events will be categorized into two types — spectator and participatory — in collaboration with relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

The Incheon landing took place four months after the start of the 1950-53 Korean War, during which 22 countries sent a total of 2.16 million military and medical personnel to aid the South Korean effort.

The operation involved some 75,000 United Nations troops and 261 ships from seven navies, forcing the North Korean military to retreat from all of the territory it occupied in the South.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]