▲ This file photo shows a display set up to honor 55 troops who died in three major clashes with North Korea in the Yellow Sea in commemoration of the 11th West Sea Defense Day at the Seoul Metropolitan Library on March 25, 2026. (Yonhap)

naval battle-anniversary

S. Korea commemorates 24th anniv. of victorious inter-Korean naval skirmish in 2002

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea held a ceremony Monday to mark the 24th anniversary of its victorious naval skirmish against North Korea in 2002 in waters off the western border island of Yeonpyeong.

The event marking the victory of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong took place at the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, some 60 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Navy.

The naval battle occurred near the South's frontline island of Yeonpyeong on June 29, 2002, when two North Korean patrol boats crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, and launched a surprise attack on the South's Chamsuri-357 warship.

It left six South Korean sailors dead and 19 others injured, while around 30 North Koreans were presumed to have been killed or wounded in the clash.

This year, the ceremony was attended by some 300 people, including Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul and the bereaved family members of the naval battle.

The Navy said with the memorial event, it aimed to commemorate the patriotic spirit of the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country's maritime border against the North's provocations.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]