ID :
22244
Wed, 10/01/2008 - 23:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/22244
The shortlink copeid
Seoul stages rare show of strength in massive rally
SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- Thousands of soldiers and citizens gathered in Seoul
Wednesday as the country marked the 60th founding anniversary of its military in
a ceremony featuring a parade of troops and previously undisplayed missile
systems.
Wednesday's ceremony contrasted starkly with that of North Korea, which also
celebrated the 60th anniversary of its national foundation early last month.
The communist state was widely expected to hold a massive parade. Such events in
the past have included the display of mid- and long-range missiles and other
weapons of mass destruction. But officials here have noted the North's foundation
ceremony this year was the most modest in recent history, with the country's top
leader Kim Jong-il conspicuously absent.
Kim has not made a public appearance since Aug. 14 and is said to have suffered a
stroke.
Officials who helped organize Wednesday's event denied that any last-minute
changes were made to the scale of the rare military parade under the conservative
Lee Myung-bak government, saying most of the planning was completed under the
liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration.
"We hold large-scale ceremonies every five years because if they were any more
frequent it would place a heavy burden on our manpower and tight budget," said
Lt. Col. Lee Yong-hyun, a spokesman for the event's organizing committee. "But we
still need to show our people that our military is fully capable and equipped to
defend the country."
Other officials said the show of military strength is also partly aimed at
demonstrating the country's military might to its neighbors and enemies.
"Too much or too frequent display of our military strength must be avoided as it
could reveal to the enemy exactly what kind of countermeasures or weapons they
will need, but an adequate amount of demonstration will surely discourage our
enemy from making any unnecessary provocations," a Defense Ministry official
said, asking not to be identified due to a lack of authorization to comment on
the issue.
Apparently aiming to discourage any potential missile test by North Korea, Seoul
publicly displayed its latest Patriot Missile System for the first time ever
during a street parade of troops and weapons systems that followed a
commemorative ceremony at Seoul Olympic Stadium in the city's Jamsil district.
Various other weapons systems were included in the parade, including long-range
precision-guided SLAM-ER missiles and the country's indigenous ground-to-ground
HyunMoo missile.
The parade involved some 2,500 troops and hundreds of Korean War veterans from
Korea and the 21 nations that dispatched troops or support staff to the United
Nations Command.
South and North Korea technically remain at war as the 1950-53 conflict ended in
an armistice, not a formal peace treaty.
Wednesday as the country marked the 60th founding anniversary of its military in
a ceremony featuring a parade of troops and previously undisplayed missile
systems.
Wednesday's ceremony contrasted starkly with that of North Korea, which also
celebrated the 60th anniversary of its national foundation early last month.
The communist state was widely expected to hold a massive parade. Such events in
the past have included the display of mid- and long-range missiles and other
weapons of mass destruction. But officials here have noted the North's foundation
ceremony this year was the most modest in recent history, with the country's top
leader Kim Jong-il conspicuously absent.
Kim has not made a public appearance since Aug. 14 and is said to have suffered a
stroke.
Officials who helped organize Wednesday's event denied that any last-minute
changes were made to the scale of the rare military parade under the conservative
Lee Myung-bak government, saying most of the planning was completed under the
liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration.
"We hold large-scale ceremonies every five years because if they were any more
frequent it would place a heavy burden on our manpower and tight budget," said
Lt. Col. Lee Yong-hyun, a spokesman for the event's organizing committee. "But we
still need to show our people that our military is fully capable and equipped to
defend the country."
Other officials said the show of military strength is also partly aimed at
demonstrating the country's military might to its neighbors and enemies.
"Too much or too frequent display of our military strength must be avoided as it
could reveal to the enemy exactly what kind of countermeasures or weapons they
will need, but an adequate amount of demonstration will surely discourage our
enemy from making any unnecessary provocations," a Defense Ministry official
said, asking not to be identified due to a lack of authorization to comment on
the issue.
Apparently aiming to discourage any potential missile test by North Korea, Seoul
publicly displayed its latest Patriot Missile System for the first time ever
during a street parade of troops and weapons systems that followed a
commemorative ceremony at Seoul Olympic Stadium in the city's Jamsil district.
Various other weapons systems were included in the parade, including long-range
precision-guided SLAM-ER missiles and the country's indigenous ground-to-ground
HyunMoo missile.
The parade involved some 2,500 troops and hundreds of Korean War veterans from
Korea and the 21 nations that dispatched troops or support staff to the United
Nations Command.
South and North Korea technically remain at war as the 1950-53 conflict ended in
an armistice, not a formal peace treaty.
