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| Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lee Jong-ho, front row fourth from left, and Brig. Gen. Shamim Islam of the Bangladesh Air Force, front row third from left, who heads an association of foreign defense attaches, pose with dignitaries during a donation event held at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Wednesday. The association, comprised of attaches from 19 countries, donated 629,000 won ($480) to a local scholarship foundation established in 2014 to support the children of Navy sailors who died in action. The amount donated symbolized the date of June 29 when an inter-Korean naval skirmish took place in 2002. Yonhap |
A group of foreign defense attaches on Wednesday hosted their first-ever event commemorating the sacrifices of South Korean troops in a deadly 2002 inter-Korean naval skirmish, the Navy said.
The group of the attaches from 19 countries donated 628,000 won ($483.33) to a scholarship foundation established in 2014 to support the children of Navy sailors who have died in action or in the line of duty. The amount of the money symbolized the date when the skirmish took place in 2002.
The armed clash occurred near South Korea's front-line island of Yeonpyeong close to the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a de facto sea border, on June 29, 2002. It left six South Korean personnel dead and caused some 30 North Korean casualties, according to the Navy.
Aside from the collective donation, foreign embassies, which participated in the event, plan to make separate donations to the foundation.
Following the event, the defense attaches were scheduled to hold a 6.29-kilometer run or walk, but it was canceled due to rain.
The group of defense attaches plans to hold the event annually, the Navy said. (Yonhap)
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