South Korea to Hold Armed Forces Day Ceremony on Oct. 1 with AI Weapon Exhibition

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will hold a ceremony to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces at the runway of the military headquarters of Gyeryongdae next month, the defense ministry said Thursday.

The Armed Forces Day event is scheduled to take place in Gyeryong, some 145 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 1, involving some 4,000 troops, according to the ministry.

The government plans to hold the event in tandem with several cultural events planned by the military, including the Army's largest cultural festival slated from Oct. 1-5.

This year's ceremony will also feature an exhibition showcasing homegrown weapons systems fitted with artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The ministry said it will minimize the deployment of troops and equipment and skip holding a military parade. Under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government, it held ravish military parades for two consecutive years in 2024.