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U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief to attend Incheon Landing commemoration

Published: 14 Sep. 2025, 18:35

Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel Paparo delivers his speech during the opening ceremony of the Super Garuda Shield 2025 joint military exercise at the Navy Staff and Command School in Jakarta, Indonesia on Aug. 25. [EPA/YONHAP]

Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, will join a ceremony in Incheon on Sunday to mark the 75th anniversary of the Incheon Landing of the 1950-53 Korean War, the first time Washington’s top regional commander has taken part in the commemoration of the pivotal Korean War operation.

Paparo, 61, plans to join the “Night of Harmony and Peace” (translated) event hosted by Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok at Harbor Park Hotel at 6 p.m., military officials said.

The event serves as a welcoming reception on the eve of the official anniversary ceremony, which the city of Incheon and the Korean Navy will hold at Incheon Inner Harbor on Monday.

Veterans Affairs Minister Kwon Oh-eul, Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, and Adm. Kang Dong-gil, Korea’s Navy chief of naval operations, will also attend. Paparo is expected to deliver congratulatory remarks.

Yoo first invited Paparo when they met at the U.S. Forces Korea change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, in December 2024.

Yoo reportedly emphasized in his invitation that “this may be the last chance for many veterans to attend” and asked the commander to join the anniversary. Paparo confirmed his attendance through Incheon city officials in June.

He reportedly noted the symbolic weight of attending, as the first UN commander who led the Incheon Landing, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, once held the same operational authority Paparo now holds as head of Indo-Pacific Command.

Joseph Raines, executive director of the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial Foundation, is also expected to attend. Arthur MacArthur IV, the general’s only son, sent a letter to the organizers ahead of the commemoration.

Paparo, who is currently on a regional tour, had initially planned to attend Monday's main ceremony but revised his schedule to join only the eve’s reception before departing Korea. He arrived in Seoul on Saturday after visiting Tokyo on Sept. 10, where he met Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, chief of staff of Japan’s Joint Staff.

Paparo took command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in May after leading the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Indo-Pacific Command is the largest of the Pentagon’s six geographic combatant commands, covering about 52 percent of the Earth’s surface, including U.S. Forces Korea.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]