The South Korean Navy held a ceremony on Wednesday to commemorate its victory in a naval battle with North Korea near the maritime border on the Yellow Sea in 1999.

The ceremony began at nine-forty a.m., the time when the naval clash with North Korea ended in the waters off Yeonpyeong Island. Some two-hundred people attended the ceremony at the Second Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, including officers who participated in the naval battle and members of the public.

At the event, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Kim Sung-chan said that South Korea must always be aware that North Korea is looking for weakness in the South and will use unimaginable means to find it. Kim added that military officers must stay alert as if in combat at all times.

The battle began when a North Korean patrol boat launched a surprise attack on a South Korean Naval vessel at nine-28 a.m. on June 15th, 1999. The South Korean Navy returned fire and completely destroyed the North Korean attackers.