78th Armed Forces Day Commemorative Event Opens at Gyeryongdae Under the Theme “Realizing Self-Reliant National Defense! An Irreplaceable Armed Forces”

[Financial News] The commemorative event for the 78th anniversary of the founding of the Armed Forces officially opened at 10 a.m. on the 1st on the runway at Gyeryongdae in South Chungcheong Province under the theme “Realizing Self-Reliant National Defense! An Irreplaceable Armed Forces.” In line with the government's four-year plan, this year's event is being held as a public-participation, hands-on security festival in conjunction with the 2026 Ground Forces Festival and Gyeryong Military Culture Festival, the country's largest military culture festivals.■ The Gyeryongdae Site Strengthened by a Festival of Public Engagement on the 78th Armed Forces DayA total of around 3,600 people are filling the runway to take part in the pre-ceremony events and commemorative ceremony, including 1,400 domestic and foreign guests and invitees, 1,080 service members and their family members, and approximately 1,080 members of the public who registered in advance. Beginning at 9:15 a.m., the pre-ceremony events featured meticulously prepared programs symbolizing the strength of the South Korean military and communication with the public.
The traditional performance by the chitae band and military bands opened the program and set the tone. It was followed by a disciplined joint show of force by a 100-member civil-military integrated taekwondo demonstration team, comprising 20 members of the Korea Taekwondo Association, 30 from Baekseok University, 40 active-duty service members, and 10 members of the Taekwon Doctor demonstration team. The performance drew an enthusiastic response from the audience.
A military honor guard demonstration visualizing the strict discipline and combat movements of each service was then performed in perfect formation. The pre-ceremony program concluded with a “Congratulatory Video of Support from the Public,” featuring messages of hope from people across society for South Korean service members and adding an emotional note. At exactly 10 a.m., commanders and officers from each service, military academy cadets, and representatives of the enlisted ranks entered the runway together across rank divisions, marking the start of the main commemorative ceremony. The ceremony proceeded with a salute to the senior officer in attendance, the national ceremony, a troop review, the presentation of decorations and commendations, and a commemorative address.
This year's event stands out for expanding beyond a military ceremony into a venue for public cultural engagement that continues into the evening. Daytime programs after the ceremony include a performance by the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command honor guard, a military uniform fashion show, military band performances, and exhibitions and boarding experiences featuring military equipment. From 6:40 p.m., a joint opening ceremony will be held at the permanent evening performance venue following a spectacular pre-show. Singer Sohyang and crossover group Forestella are scheduled to perform on the opening celebration stage, adding to the festival's significance as an event enjoyed jointly by service members and the public.■ Awards for Those Who Defended Democracy and Demonstrations of Future Advanced Military CapabilitiesThe ceremony will include posthumous awards for individuals who devoted themselves to national security and the defense of democracy before being killed in action. The military will award the Chungmu Order of Military Merit to the late Kim Oh-rang, a lieutenant colonel who was killed at age 35 while trying to protect Special Warfare Command chief Jeong Byeong-ju to the end during the December 12 military coup in 1979, and to the late Staff Sergeant Jeong Seon-yeop, who was killed at age 23 while defending an underground guard post at the Ministry of National Defense. Relatives of the deceased, including Kim Young-jin, the nephew of the late Kim, and Jeong Gyu-sang, the younger brother of the late Jeong, have been invited to honor their military spirit. Exemplary service members, including Ahn Tae-seong, a corporal of the 15th Infantry Division who contributed to the successful completion of a 2026 operation to guide a defector by making the first acoustic detection, and Korea Military Academy cadet Yang Jun-seo, will also enter alongside senior military leaders.
The post-ceremony events will feature demonstrations of future advanced military capabilities independently developed by the South Korean military. As the threat posed by unmanned aircraft has grown more prominent amid wars such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the domestically developed Cheon-gwang laser anti-aircraft weapon will make its first appearance and demonstrate the interception of a drone. Cheon-gwang operates in conjunction with air defense radar information and uses output levels of 20 kilowatts and 30 kilowatts to precisely intercept enemy unmanned aircraft at ranges from 500 meters to a maximum of 2 kilometers. Large-scale aerial formations by the military's main rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, along with high-difficulty maneuvers by the Black Eagles, are taking place in the airspace over Gyeryongdae. In the ground equipment exhibition zone, first-time displays—including the K877 wheeled command post vehicle, the KM3 amphibious bridging system, and a multipurpose unmanned vehicle with an operational radius of 25 kilometers—will remain available alongside a hands-on public exhibition area.■ From an Urban Parade to a Festival Linked to the Gyeryongdae Cultural EventFollowing last year's 77th Armed Forces Day event, held during the first year of the People's Sovereignty Government, this year's event was staged at the runway facilities at Gyeryongdae. The 78th anniversary event shows a clear shift from previous military commemorations. Rather than focusing solely on displaying military might, it has been organized as a public-participation and hands-on event combined with the Ground Forces Festival and Gyeryong Military Culture Festival. The ceremony featured 46 types and around 70 units of weapons systems and key equipment operated by the Armed Forces. Advanced weapons produced domestically, including the Hyunmoo-5 ground-to-ground ballistic missile—dubbed the “monster missile” because of its 8-ton warhead—the M-SAM, the domestically developed medium-range surface-to-air guided weapon; the KAI KF-21 Boramae, a domestically developed 4.5-generation supersonic fighter; the K2 tank; the K9 self-propelled howitzer; and the K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher, displayed their capabilities. During the 76th commemorative event, the Hyunmoo-5 ground-to-ground ballistic missile, designed to destroy underground bunkers, was publicly displayed for the first time in physical form while mounted on a specialized heavy-equipment chassis during a street parade in central Seoul, attracting considerable attention at home and abroad. The Hyunmoo-5 has now appeared for three consecutive years, following the Armed Forces Day events held the year before last and last year. In particular, it is a core weapon system of KMPR, one of the components of the South Korean Three-Axis System, designed to devastate underground bunkers housing the enemy command.
The Ministry of National Defense has presented a four-year advanced security vision under which the characteristics and capabilities of each service—including the Navy's International Fleet Review, ADEX, and the Marine Corps' Seoul Recapture event—will be gradually linked with Armed Forces Day.









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