Yeongdeok-gun holds 2026 Jangsa Landing Operation victory ceremony

Yeongdeok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province held the "2026 Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Ceremony" at the Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Monument in Jangsa Beach, Namjeong-myeon, the county announced Friday.

About 300 people attended the event, including Minister of Patriots and Veterans Kwon O-eul, Yeongdeok County Chief Jo Ju-hong, 50th Division 121st Infantry Brigade Commander Gu Seung-hui, Jangsa Landing Operation Veterans Commemoration Association Chairman Ryu Byeong-chu, Korean War veterans, bereaved family members and local residents.

The two-day program began Thursday with a memorial rite and dinner, followed Friday by a tour of the Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Memorial Hall — housed aboard the vessel Munsanho — along with commemorative speeches, the presentation of commendation plaques and scholarships, a memorial spirit dance and a group singing of the student soldier anthem.

"I hope future generations will always remember the sacrifice of the young student soldiers who ran into a hail of bullets with nothing but love for their country," Ryu said.

County Chief Jo and Minister Kwon toured the Jangsa Landing Operation Victory Memorial Hall together and called for the transfer of the facility to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans — to preserve what is the largest memorial facility of its kind in the country — as well as national funding for a renovation of its exhibition halls.

Jo had also visited the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans in July and met with Minister Kwon to request the transfer of the memorial hall to the ministry.

He has continued to press for national-level support for related projects, including making the case for an immersive memorial space dedicated to the student soldiers who fought in the Korean War and requesting government funding for its construction.

"We enjoy the freedom and peace of today thanks to the sacrifice and dedication of the heroes who took part in the Jangsa Landing Operation," Minister Kwon said. "Regarding the management and support of the victory memorial hall that Yeongdeok-gun has proposed, we will do our utmost — including exploring options for direct management by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans or additional budget support."

"We will always remember the noble sacrifice of the student soldiers who put on their school uniforms and went to war 76 years ago, turning the tide of the Korean War," County Chief Jo said. "We will do our best to enhance the treatment of veterans and their bereaved families and to carry forward the values of patriotic service."