By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

On a business trip to the United States, Incheon City Mayor Yoo Jung-bok extended an official invitation to President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to attend the 75th anniversary of the Incheon Landings Operation, which is scheduled to take place in September.

“The Incheon landings operation is comparable to the Normandy landings in historical significance and importance,” Mayor Yoo said in the letter, adding, ”If President Donald Trump attends the event, it will be an opportunity to further strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance in various fields such as military security, economy, and high technology in this difficult time when world peace is threatened.”

Mayor Yoo met with Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun-dong on Jan. 18 and introduced that the 75th anniversary of the Incheon landings will be held as a large-scale international event in September, inviting the leaders of the eight participating countries, governors, mayors, and veterans, and asked the U.S. government to actively cooperate with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul by delivering invitations through diplomatic channels.

Mayor Yoo also met with Pastor John Mark Burns, a longtime friend of U.S. President Trump who is expected to play a key role in the incoming Trump administration, on Jan. 19, and asked him to deliver a letter to President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance requesting their participation in the 75th anniversary of the Incheon landings.

In addition to President Trump's official inauguration ceremony in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, Rev. John Mark Burns led an inauguration celebration that drew tens of thousands of supporters to the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and later in the evening, he presided over a celebration ball attended by more than 1,700 people.

Mayor Yoo was the guest of honor at both events at the invitation of Pastor Mark Burns. After the official inauguration ceremony in Congress, President Trump personally visited the Capital One Arena at around 5 p.m. local time to thank his supporters.

Mayor Jung-bok Yoo told Mark Burns, “The Incheon landings has historic significance in that we overcame unfavorable odds, captured the capital city of Seoul and advanced into North Korea to secure freedom and peace,” and explained the purpose of the event, “In particular, this year is the last year that we can celebrate the landing in a large-scale (every five years) event with veterans, most of whom are elderly and alive, and we would like to invite veterans and their descendants to Incheon, where the landing took place, to collectively thank them for their sacrifices and dedication to freedom, and to express our gratitude of the 3 million citizens of Incheon.”

After meeting with Mayor Yoo, Mark Burns told reporters, “The D-Day commemoration is a symbolic event in the U.S.-Korea alliance, and I will be actively working to ensure that my good friends President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance are able to attend,” and said he would be attending.

Earlier in the day, Mayor Yoo visited the Korean War Veterans Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a symbolic site of the U.S.-ROK alliance, to lay a wreath and pay his respects.

Later that same evening, he attended a dinner hosted by the Korean American Federation of the United States, where he thanked Korean American organizations for their support.

“We have designated this year and next year as the Year of Overseas Korean Exchange and Visits to Incheon, and we are preparing various exchange events such as the Korean American Business Forum and export consultation meetings,” Mayor Yoo said, emphasizing, ”I would like to ask for your support so that Incheon can re-emerge as a diverse and inclusive city.”