On Memorial Day (Hyunchungil), June 6^th, you will see the national flag of Korea (Taegeukgi) hung on the streets, and hear a siren at 10 a.m. for a one minute’s silence in memory of the deceased. Memorial Day means "day to reveal loyalty," and it is a day to honor the loyalty and console the souls of patriotic martyrs and Korean soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. June is the month when the people's hearts are heavy, for the debt of gratitude to soldiers who perished at the Battle of Yeonpyeong (YP), among many others.

Before the First YP Naval Battle in 1999, relations between the two Koreas seemed to be somewhat positive. Tourism to Mountain Kumgang was steady along with the Kim Dae-jung government's Sunshine Policy.[1] However, North Korea's provocations subtly continued, and one of their submersibles which was operating south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) was caught in the net of a South Korean fishing boat. The South Korean government tried to deal with the incidents separately for peace between two Koreas. However from early June 1998, North Korean fishing boats and patrol boats moved southward from the NLL near YP Island, frequently causing tangible clashes. The first battle broke out on June 15^th as the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) responded with a warning broadcast in accordance with the rules of engagement and a "pushing-out strategy" where one ship deliberately collides with the hull of the other ship to send it out of the compound. During the battle, eight soldiers on board the Chamsuri-325, including Commander Ahn Ji-young, were injured.

ROKN’s maneuver had a serious problem in that it did not allow the soldiers to actively respond, but the government and the people were somewhat indifferent in that the outcome of the skirmish was South Korea's overwhelming victory. However, such complacency brought up the second battle. When the Second Battle of YP broke out in 2002, most South Koreans were busy watching the third-place match of the 2002 World Cup. Commander Yoon Yeong-ha, Master Sergeant Han Sang-guk and Jo Cheon-hyung, Staff Sergeant Hwang Do-hyeon and Seo Hu-won, and Sergeant Park Dong-hyeok were killed, and 19 others were injured. The incident, which was revealed after the World Cup match, was a great shock to the public.

After the two incidents, the rules of engagement[2] were pointed out as the contribution to the second battle. And there was no legal basis for the president to participate in the funeral ceremony of the victims of the Second Battle of YP or to provide sufficient compensation. Accordingly, preventing future casualties and showing reasonable courtesy to the heroes of the Second Battle of YP has been a long-standing task of the government. First, the government ordered a more active response, simplifying the existing steps in the rules of engagement. Second, ex-president Lee Myung-bak promoted from the “Korean maritime border incidents” to the name it goes by today, and made the Second YP Battle Memorial Ceremony a government event so that the president should join. Furthermore, the Moon Jae-in government implemented the ”Special Act On Compensation To Soldiers Killed In The Second Battle Of Yeonpyeong'' to allow bereaved families who initially received only a small amount of compensation, to benefit retroactively from the revision of the Military Pension Act (2004). The Korean people were, and still are, indebted to the soldiers of the Second Battle of YP, overshadowed by the excitement of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan. So the ROKN and the general public raised money when the movie "Northern Limit Line" (2015) was released.

At the ceremony marking the West Sea Defense Day on March 24^th, President Yoon Suk Yeol honored the soldiers by a roll call of the 55 warriors who made noble sacrifices while defending the West Sea, including the victims of the Battle of YP. "You can’t call it a state if it doesn't remember and honor those who sacrificed and devoted themselves to the country. There is no future for the nation," he said, reminding everyone that the country is the responsibility of the living, and patriotism is everyone’s duty. We should never forget the heroes of the West Sea, who took the lead in protecting Korea.