Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Korea marks 75th anniversary of Battle of Kapyong with Commonwealth allies
Lee Yong-cheol, third from right, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), lays a wreath at the 75th Battle of Kapyong memorial ceremony at the Commonwealth monument in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of DAPA
By Bahk Eun-ji
DAPA chief calls for stronger defense ties
Korea marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong Friday with a ceremony honoring veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and reaffirming defense ties with partner nations that fought alongside it during the conflict.
Lee Yong-cheol, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), attended the event at the Commonwealth War Memorial in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, alongside senior military officials and ambassadors from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — the four Commonwealth countries that participate in the annual commemoration.
Speaking at the event, Lee said Korea will “remember the sacrifice and dedication of the veterans who came to defend liberal democracy” and continue to strengthen cooperation with countries that fought alongside it during the war.
The Battle of Kapyong, fought in April 1951 during the Chinese Spring Offensive, is widely regarded as one of the Korean War’s key engagements.
About 2,000 troops from the 27th Commonwealth Brigade held off a Chinese force more than five times their size, helping United Nations forces stabilize defensive lines at a critical moment in the war.
“This ceremony is an opportunity to reaffirm our strategic partnership with Commonwealth nations and explore broader cooperation, including in the defense industry,” Lee said.
Around 300 people attended the ceremony, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, including Minister Kwon Oh-eul, foreign envoys, senior military officials and veterans, highlighting what officials described as a "long-standing partnership forged during the war."
The event followed a formal program that included commemorative addresses, a reading of a message from the British monarch and tributes to fallen soldiers, reflecting the multinational nature of the occasion.
The ministry said 26 veterans and family members from Commonwealth countries visited Korea for the occasion under a government invitation program, adding symbolic weight to the ceremony.
Separate memorial events were also scheduled later in the day at Canadian and Australian-New Zealand monuments in Gapyeong, continuing the day’s commemorations across participating nations.
The ceremony concluded with a moment of silence, wreath-laying and a memorial flyover by the Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatic team.
Officials said the government will continue to expand cooperation with partner nations based on shared historical ties, while seeking to strengthen collaboration in defense and security.