INCHEON -- An annual event to reenact "Operation Chromite," a US-led operation during the Korean War, has been called off in the aftermath of the latest North Korean missile and nuclear tests, the event's host city said Monday.
Since 2008, the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, and the Navy have jointly reproduced the event by mobilizing military troops and equipment to mark the historic amphibious operation led by US Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Conducted on Sept. 15, 1950, what is also called the Incheon Landing Operation saved South Korea from the brink of defeat and decisively turned the tide of the 1950-53 war. The United States and 15 other countries fought for the South under the UN flag against the North Korean invaders.
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Armored amphibious vehicles move toward a beach amid a smoke screen off a beach in Incheon on Sept. 8, 2016, as South Korean and US Marines reenact the Incheon Landing Operation to observe its 66th anniversary. (Yonhap) |
The Navy has decided to cancel the event with the reasoning that it is improper to mobilize lots of troops and equipment for it amid the mounting inter-Korean tensions, according to a Navy official.
Last year, 17 South Korean and US naval vessels, 15 military planes and 21 armored vehicles were used to mark the anniversary.
"The massive military mobilization has become a big burden to us (the Navy) under the grave security situation, and we've decided to call off the event," the Navy official also said. (Yonhap)
