78th Armed Forces Day held at Gyeryong
K877, KM3 among equipment shown for first time
Some 70 units of 46 domestically developed weapons systems and key equipment were on full display at this year's Armed Forces Day ceremony.
The Ministry of National Defense held the 78th Armed Forces Day ceremony Thursday at the runway of Gyeryong base in South Chungcheong Province, under the theme "Realizing Self-Reliant Defense! An Irreplaceable Military." About 800 troops and more than 70 pieces of equipment took part — slightly fewer than last year.
Equipment units were divided into three formations — the Korean three-axis system, K-defense industry and future forces — and passed in review before the president. The centerpiece was the Hyunmoo-5 surface-to-surface ballistic missile, dubbed the "monster missile," whose warhead weighs up to 8 tons and is designed to destroy underground bunkers where North Korea's leadership could shelter. The Hyunmoo-5 has appeared at every Armed Forces Day ceremony since its debut in 2023.
Other leading exports of the Korean defense industry were also on show, including the Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air guided missile, the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher, the K2 main battle tank and the K9 self-propelled howitzer. In the skies, the domestically built KF-21 Boramae — a 4.5th-generation fighter jet whose first mass-production aircraft entered operational service last month — performed a flyover.
Several pieces of equipment made their public debut at the event. Among them were the K877, a wheeled command-post vehicle capable of carrying 10 personnel, fitted with a 12.7mm machine gun and capable of a top speed of 95 kilometers per hour, and the KM3 self-propelled river-crossing vehicle, which can ferry two K21 armored personnel carriers across a river. The Marine Corps' high-performance multiple rocket launcher with a maximum range of 120 kilometers and a 120mm mortar system mounted on a small tactical vehicle were also shown for the first time.
Manned-unmanned teaming systems were also on display, including AI-based swarming drones and an anti-drone interceptor drone capable of speeds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour that uses radar data to track and intercept enemy drones.
The government posthumously awarded the Chungmu Order of Military Merit to the late Lt. Col. Kim O-rang and the late Sgt. Jeong Seon-yeop, both of whom died resisting the military coup of Dec. 12, 1979. Kim, 35, was killed protecting Special Forces Commander Gen. Jeong Byeong-ju to the last, while Jeong, 23, was shot dead guarding an underground post at the Ministry of National Defense.
Cpl. Ahn Tae-seong of the Army's 15th Division was named outstanding soldier of the year after he became the first to detect a sound signal during a defection-guidance operation involving a North Korean soldier earlier this year, contributing to the mission's success. Korea Military Academy brigade commander cadet Yang Jun-seo was named outstanding cadet. Both joined the president for a ceremonial joint entrance into the venue.
This year's Armed Forces Day was the first held under a four-year rotational plan, under which the ceremony moves each year to a different branch of the military in conjunction with that branch's signature event. This year's ceremony was held alongside the 2026 Ground Forces Festival and Gyeryong Military Culture Festival.
"This year's Armed Forces Day was prepared as a special occasion to honor the troops — the true protagonists — while also giving the public and the military a chance to connect and celebrate together," the Armed Forces Day organizing committee said. "It will be a meaningful event where the irreplaceable self-reliant defense capabilities of our armed forces can be confirmed."
rimsclub@heraldcorp.com
