Armed Forces Day

[Anchor Lead]

This year's Armed Forces Day was observed at a naval base that protects the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea. President Moon Jae-in said he would seek South Korean takeover of wartime operational control from the United States.

[Pkg]

The ceremony marking Armed Forces Day was held three days in advance because of the upcoming Chuseok holiday. It took place at the Republic of Korea Navy, 2nd Fleet Command. At the ceremony, President Moon Jae-in urged the military to further bolster its defense capabilities to deter North Korea's nuclear weapons. He added that if South Korea takes back wartime operational control early on, its military will be able to become even stronger.

[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "We must have wartime operational control so that North Korea is more afraid of us and the public can trust the military more."

The president reiterated his commitment to implementing national defense reforms and urged the military to beef up its "winning capabilities" by bolstering the defense skills of the South Korea- U.S. alliance led by the South Korean military. President Moon and Defense Minister Song Young-moo jointly inspected the core strategic weapons for deterring North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. They include the Hyunmoo-2C ballistic missiles, the Hyunmoo-3 cruise missiles, Patriot missiles and Taurus air-to-surface missiles.

[Soundbite] "Taurus air-to-surface missiles can destroy six-meter-thick underground bunkers."

At the ceremony, an air show was staged by 53 jets flying at low altitude to demonstrate their might, while a team of special warfare officers, who carry out operations on the enemy's home front, descended on parachutes all at once. The president presented the U.S. Forces Korea Combined Forces Commander, Gen. Vincent Brooks, with the Tongil Medal of the Order of National Security Merit and stressed a strong bilateral alliance. After the ceremony, the president had lunch with service people aboard the Korean destroyer, Munmu the Great.