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Marine Corps marks anniversary of North Korea's 2010 shelling of border island

Published: 23 Nov. 2025, 21:41

A memorial ceremony is held to mark the anniversary of North Korea's 2010 shelling of Yeonpyeong Island at the Daejeon National Cemetery on Nov. 23. [YONHAP]

The Marine Corps held a ceremony on Sunday to mark the anniversary of North Korea's 2010 shelling of a border island, which killed two soldiers and two civilians.

The ceremony took place at the Daejeon National Cemetery, some 140 kilometers (87 miles) southeast of Seoul, with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, Marine Corps Commandant Ju Il-suk and the family members of the two Marines, Staff Sgt. Seo Jeong-u and Lance Cpl. Mun Gwang-uk, in attendance.

“The Marine Corps does not forget [...] a soldier's devotion to their nation, which was demonstrated by these war heroes, and will fulfill its mission for peace and freedom in the Republic of Korea,” Ju said in a commemorative speech.

North Korea's artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, 2010, prompted return fire from the Marines stationed there and left two soldiers and two civilians dead.

Seo died while returning to his unit after heading to a pier to leave for his final vacation before his discharge. Mun was killed while preparing for battle about a month after being transferred to the Yeonpyeong unit.

The shelling marked the North's first attack on a civilian area in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Yonhap