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thedrifter
04-14-09, 06:02 AM
04-13-2009 20:02
ROK Marine Corps to Celebrate 60th Anniversary

By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

The Marine Corps will mark its 60th founding anniversary Wednesday, with its role ever increasing in deterring North Korea's lingering military threat, officials said Monday.

A ceremony will take place at Deoksan airfield in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, where the Marine Corps was founded with an initial strength of 380 men, they said.

Lieutenant Gen. Lee Hong-hee, commander of the corps, will officiate at the ceremony with about 1,000 high-profile guests, war veterans and ordinary citizens in attendance, the service said in a news release.

Among the guests will be Major Gen. Frank A. Panter, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea, South Korean lawmakers of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee and about 20 military attaches of foreign embassies in Seoul, it said.

``The Marine Corps will not only continue to retain the 60 years of honorable history that has been made by our seniors' solemn sacrifice and devotion, but also make the utmost effort to build a mobile Marine force with outstanding air-to-ground operational capability suited for future warfare,'' Lee said in the release.

The service is scheduled to hold various events for citizens from April 17 to 19, according to the release.

During the ``Go! Marines Festival'' weekend at the 1st Marine Division in Pohang, there will be an amphibious assault demonstration, military band concert, face painting service, exhibition of Marine photos and other events, it said.

South Korea has the second largest Marine Corps in the world, with over 27,000 personnel.

The Marine Corps saw action during the Vietnam War while stationed in Danang, fighting alongside the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy SEALs. During the war, the South Korean Marines were never defeated on the battlefield and earned nicknames such as ``Ghost Busters.''

During the Korean War, in 1950, with the combined forces of the U.S. and South Korea pushed back to the Nakdong River by the North Koreans, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the United Nations forces in Korea, wanted to create a breakthrough in the crisis by driving the enemy out of the peninsula and finishing the war.

A total force of 75,000 South Korean and U.S. Marines and Army service members took part in the renowned Incheon Landing Operation. In addition, 11 naval ships, six aircraft carriers and a total of 261 battleships of the combined forces participated during the 48 hours between Sept. 13 and 15.

The success of the Incheon Landing Operations enormously contributed to shaping conditions for a counterattack, turning the tide of the Korean War and blocking enemy communication lines.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Ellie