Tag: Incheon Landing Operation

This week is the 75th anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation that turned the tide of the Korean War.  With the Lee administration trying to play nice with North Korea, it will be interesting to see how visibly ROK government officials will attend official events commemorating the Incheon Landing.

You can read more about the Incheon Landing Operation at my prior postings at the below links:

For anyone visiting Incheon the memorial hall there dedicated to the landing is well worth checking out as well: 

Long time ROK Heads may remember how in 2005 huge riots broke out in Incheon as ROK veterans groups defended the MacArthur statue in Incheon commemorating Operation Chromite from the anti-US groups that had vowed to tear it down.

Fortunately the anti-US groups failed to tear down the statue after their Braveheart style attack was foiled by police and pro-US groups.  For those that haven’t been there before Jayu Park in Incheon where the MacArthur statue stands is well worth checking out as well as taking a walk through Chinatown below the hill. Hopefully you don’t run into any anti-US leftists this week if visiting the park.

This weekend is the 69th anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation that turned the tide of the Korean War. It will be interesting to see who in the current Moon administration will take the time to attend any memorials to the U.S. troops that died executing the operation.

You can read more about the Incheon Landing Operation at the below link:

That’s like France trying to slap the US with a bill for beach cleanup and population displacement resulting from the Normandy landings.

— 🇰🇷Edward Oh🇺🇸 (@EdwardHBOh) March 26, 2019

Here is another example of an anti-US effort being promoted by the South Korean left:

The conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) on Friday criticized a decision by the Incheon city legislative council to compensate residents for damages incurred by the U.S.-led landing at the port city during the Korean War. 

The Incheon Metropolitan Council approved a municipal ordinance on March 15 that will offer subsidies to residents of Wolmi Island who suffered damages from the 1950 military operation or their descendants.

The surprise amphibious landing at Incheon resulted in a critical strategic reversal in favor of the U.S.-led United Nations troops and South Korea during the Korean War. The operation, which took place from Sept. 15 to 19, 1950, allowed the recapture of Seoul two weeks later. The operation, led by U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur, involved bombings of Incheon by UN forces. 

“The Incheon city council, where the Democratic Party [DP] controls the majority, created the compensation plan,” said Rep. Kim Jin-tae of the LKP. “Do they want to compensate the people for all past damages, such as those from Donghak Peasant Revolution [in 1894], the Qing invasion of Joseon [in 1636] and the Japanese invasions of Korea [from 1592 to 1598]?” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

Remember the leftist in Incheon are the same people that tried to tear down the General McArthur statue at Jayu Park in the middle of the city.

Here is the best quote from the article that explains what this is really all about:

Kim also said offering compensations to the residents would only satisfy Kim Il Sung, the late founder of the North who initiated the North’s invasion of the South in 1950.  (……..)

“If compensations are sought for the damages caused by the Incheon landing operation, they must ask for the money from the North, since it caused enormous damage by starting the Korean War,” said Rep. Jun Hee-kyung, spokeswoman of the LKP. “They are saying nothing to the North, but supporting the civic groups which demand compensation from the UN forces that helped the South. Is this what the Moon Jae-in administration refers to as justice?” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

Remember little issues like this are all about keeping the kettle of anti-Americanism simmering in South Korea before finding a major issue the South Korean left can sensationalize. We saw this happen prior to the 2002 Armored Vehicle Accident that the Korean left used to create a huge anti-Americanism backlash.

We saw another huge anti-American backlash in 2008 with the anti-US Beef Riots that nearly toppled the newly elected conservative President Lee Myung-bak.

Inchon City Council seeks compensation for victims of the Sept 15, 1950 "Inchon Landing," a turning point in the #KoreanWar, from the #ROK AND the #US & #UN. Why leave out the culprit of the war, the #DPRK? https://t.co/mGBXgW302K

— Sung-Yoon Lee (@SungYoonLee1) March 21, 2019

This photo, provided by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on Sept. 16, 2017, shows South Korean and U.S. Korean War veterans pledging allegiance to their national flags during a ceremony in the United States to mark the 67th anniversary of the Incheon landing operation. The historic operation, led by MacArthur and code-named Operation Chromite, was staged from Sept. 15-19, 1950, and turned the tide of the war in favor of the U.N. troops by successfully cutting the North’s supply and communication lines. (Yonhap)

Korean and U.S. marines rehearse for a re-enactment of the Incheon Landing in 1950 on Wolmi Island in Incheon, Sunday, two days ahead of the 65th anniversary of the operation. Led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the landing turned the tide for forces in the Korean War. [Korea Times]