Yellow Sea Battle Memorial: Forgotten Heroes Put Us to Shame

June 20 marked the second Memorial Day for six brave young navy sailors who were killed by a North Korean provocation in the Yellow Sea.

After the sea battle, the fervor to cherish their deaths captured the entire nation. People called them heroes. Some said they should be remembered forever in school textbooks. However, the nation has now forgotten them.

About 150 bereaved families held a memorial ceremony at a memorial dedicated to them at the Second Fleet Headquarters in Pyongtaek. None of the politicians who attended the service last year showed up this year.

As statement after statement to mark their deaths were read, they bit their lips to hold back their tears. When they began to dedicate flowers, the families finally burst into tears, with some collapsing.

The families began to wail as they touched the relatives of the dead carved into the back of the monument.

The wife of the late sergeant Chow Chen-hyeong, pulled her daughter, Si-eun to the sculpture and said, “Come to father and touch him.” But the three-year-old girl scampered from it as if it was all strange to her.

The bereaved families said in chorus that it pained and saddened them to see their sons and husbands who were victimized in a battle for their country being forgotten so easily.

“They forgot who defended their country,” said Cho Sang-geun, 61 years old and the father of the late Cho, with a sigh. “I don’t have anything to say.”’

Hwang Eun-taek, 57 years old and the father of the late sergeant Hwang Do-hyun, said, “In May, the Navy Veterans Association contacted me about a second anniversary. I believed they would host it. Early this month, they abruptly canceled it. I was dumbfounded.” He added, “I think I know why if I look what’s happening to North-South relations.”

“While candlelight protests against troop dispatches to Iraq are allowed, we are not allowed to have a cultural event to memorialize our kids who were killed while fighting North Korea,” another family member said.

They also disclosed the grudge they hold against the national psyche about North Korea. “Even elementary school students say they prefer North Korea to the U.S.,” Hwang said. “I have no more to say. I don’t want to live in a country like this.”

A junior officer who was on board on the Chamsuri, the cruiser that was engaged in the battle, said, “North-South reconciliation is good. However, we should not be less alert. I cannot trust the North as a combatant who did battle with them.’

“Defending the country is not a job just for soldiers. The entire nation should defend itself,” said Lt. Lee Hee-hwan, who was wounded in the battle. “I hope my fallen comrades are cherished in the heart of the nation.”

The Yellow Sea battle took place on June 29 at 10:25am about 14 miles west of Yonpyong-do when North Korean cruisers, which sailed past the NLL, abruptly opened fire. Six sailors, Mj. Yun Young-ha, Sergeants Han Sang-kook, Cho Cheon-young, Suh Hoo-won, Hwang Do-hyun and Corporal Park Dong-hyuk were killed and another 18 were injured.

Kyung-Hyun Nam bibulus@donga.com