The Republic of Korea and the United States held an Armed Forces Day parade in the vicinity of Seongnam’s Seoul Air Base (K-16) in Gyeonggi Province today.

The parade commemorated the 75th anniversary of the founding of South Korea’s armed forces with the theme, “Strong Military, Strong Security, and Peace Through Strength.”

During the event, Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his gratitude and commented on the strength of the ROK-US Alliance.

“I also deeply thank the parents, wives and husbands, sons and daughters who silently dedicate themselves to supporting our service members, as well as members of the United States Forces Korea and their families who have contributed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and together with us forged the 70-year-long history of the ROK-U.S. Alliance.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol also awarded U.S. Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) the ROK Presidential Unit Citation, the highest unit honor that the ROK president can bestow on a military unit. The award dates back to 1950 during the Korean War.

More than 300 U.S. service men and women participated in the event, which included a large-scale military procession and military equipment displays. In addition, foreign veterans of the Korean War and their families were in attendance.

The last time a similar display of military strength was held in South Korea was in 2013, to mark the 65th Armed Forces Day event.

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