By Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the 70th anniversary of the Korea Coast Guard Day ceremony at the Araseohae Gap Gate in Incheon, Korea, on Aug. 28 and encouraged the Korean Coast Guard, which has been doing its best to protect maritime sovereignty and national security for the past 70 years.
 

Prior to the ceremony, the President visited the Gyeongin Port Vessel Traffic Service (VTS), where he was briefed on the status of the VTS and the Ara Waterway, and encouraged the workers, saying, "You are doing a great job."

The President also held video calls with Captain Lee Ki-bong of the No. 1513, Captain Park Soon-young of the No. 3006 in the South Sea, and Captain Baek Jong-soo of the No. 1506 in the West Sea to encourage those who are working on the front lines for the safety of the people and to ask them to do their best in their duties. 
The president asked the captains about the weather conditions and how many people are working on the ships, and said, "You are doing a lot of work to protect the border and maritime safety," adding, "The health and safety of the workers is the most important. Please be careful at all times."

Before leaving the VTS, the President shook hands with the workers one by one and took a picture with them, saying, "Thank you for your hard work for maritime safety, and the social infrastructure runs well with your help."

Later in the ceremony, the President walked alongside the Coast Guard officers to honor their dedication to national security.

"I am deeply grateful to the marine officers and their families who are still fulfilling their duties on the front lines," the President said in his commemorative remarks. "I pay tribute to the martyred and fallen marine officers, and express my deepest sympathy and gratitude to the families of the late Captain Lee Won-seok, the late Captain Cho Dong-soo, and the late Captain Oh Jin-seok, who are here today."

"Disasters at sea can happen anytime and anywhere, and maritime accidents pose a great threat even if the response is delayed," the President said. "I ask you to thoroughly prepare for maritime accidents and respond quickly to protect the lives and safety of the people at sea."

The President continued, "When the Coast Guard keeps our oceans safe, Korea can develop into a solid new maritime power that leads the global market," and said, "I will actively support the construction of a maritime information convergence platform based on advanced technology promoted by the Coast Guard."

The President also emphasized that the government will do its utmost to support the Coast Guard's efforts to build a maritime information convergence platform, saying, "I know the difficulties they face while fighting to save lives in harsh and devastating scenes." The President also announced that he would be strengthening the capacity of the General Situation Room and introducing a multi-level system for key positions in order to enhance on-site response capabilities.

After the ceremony, the president boarded the Coast Guard vessel 3005 and participated in maritime drills such as cracking down on illegal fishing boats and rescuing people at sea.

The maritime drill involved 500-ton medium-sized ships and 50-ton small ships, as well as air flotation boats, medium-sized special maneuvering boats, high-speed boats, helicopters, and more than 200 maritime police officers, who demonstrated joint operations in the air and at sea in rainy and windy weather.

At the end of the maritime drill, the maritime police officers thanked the President as he left, shouting, "Mr. President, please support the maritime police," and "Mr. President, please come back next year," and the President reciprocated by shaking hands with each of them in encouragement.

At the ceremony, the President personally awarded the Geunjeong Citation to Police Officer Kim Won-tae for his contributions to public convenience and safety, the Presidential Commendation to Officer Kim In-gu for his contributions to the preservation of the marine environment, the Presidential Commendation to Inspector Ahn Jin-seop for his contributions to the establishment of maritime crime order, and the Presidential Organization Citation to the Ulsan Branch of the Marine Environment Agency for its contributions to securing safety in the shipping and port sectors.

The ceremony was attended by the bereaved family of the late Inspector Cho Dong-soo, who was martyred while performing maritime vigilance duties, as well as seven other families of martyrs of the Korea Coast Guard.

In addition, 2,000 people, including presidents of maritime-related universities, representatives of fishermen, citizens, students, and maritime police officers, attended the event.