Armed Forces Day

[Anchor Lead]

For the first time a ceremony marking Armed Forces Day was held in the evening, and there was no military parade. Instead, the event featured a concert by the popular singer Psy

[Pkg]

The ceremony marking Armed Forces Day started with an air show staged by the special Air Force aerobatic team, the Black Eagles, whose jets appeared in the evening skies over Seoul. Then a video showing Air Force fighter jets and naval ships being mobilized in an emergency situation was played. Moments later, soldiers armed with warrior platforms featuring state-of-the-art combat gear descended on the stage. The show also demonstrated unmanned vehicles, drone robots and futuristic combat capabilities of the South Korean Army. The show was all the more impressive thanks to the media facade that played video images on the wall, which served as a screen.

[Soundbite] Jeong Kyeong-doo(Minister of Defense) : "We will make sure that our people have no fear of war anymore. We will protect our people with strength."

Although this year's event marking Armed Forces Day featured no military parade, it was the first ever to include a concert by a popular singer.

[Soundbite] Psy : "I remember performing here ten years ago as a soldier at a concert marking the Army's 60th anniversary. Here I am again after ten years."

Cheong Wa Dae said that it decided to hold the event in the evening so that the public could also enjoy it. The presidential office added that the parade was skipped because it was too late to hold it in the evening. However, observers say that it was probably done to match the reconciliatory mood between South and North Korea. The opposition Liberty Korea Party blasted the government for undermining the Army's morale and honor, and ruining the pride of the nation by skipping the military parade and reducing the scope of the event.