[비즈한국] The International Fleet Review, scheduled to be held in Busan this coming May to mark the 80th anniversary of Liberation and the founding of the Navy, appears likely to be postponed. It is expected that the schedules of foreign military delegations from 60 countries—including allies and defense cooperation partners such as the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Spain, Turkiye, and Australia, who were slated for invitation—will also face disruptions.
According to industry sources, a plan is being reviewed to postpone the International Fleet Review, which was originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the 'International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX) 2025' for seven days from May 26 to June 1 in Busan, due to the martial law situation.
The Navy had initially intended to host the International Fleet Review on a grand scale in conjunction with MADEX, the largest maritime defense exhibition in Korea held in Busan. However, it appears that the event itself is being postponed due to the current unstable political climate, including the vacancies of the President and the Minister of National Defense following last December’s martial law situation.
A fleet review is a maritime inspection ceremony where the commander-in-chief of the military goes out to sea to inspect the combat readiness of warships and the military discipline of sailors. International fleet reviews held in South Korea took place in 1998, 2008, and 2018.
The 1998 event was held in Jinhae to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the government and the military, the 400th anniversary of Admiral Yi Sun-sin's passing, and the acquisition of Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyers. A total of 41 vessels and 15 aircraft participated, with the ROKS Gwanggaeto the Great serving as the flagship, where President Kim Dae-jung boarded to conduct the review. In 2008, the fleet review was held in Busan to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the military, with 57 vessels and 27 aircraft participating.
At the 2018 International Fleet Review held at Jeju Naval Base, the ROKS Ilchulbong was selected as the flagship, and President Moon Jae-in boarded the vessel for the review. The Sujagi (Commander's Flag), which was used by the Three-Province Naval Commanders during the Joseon Dynasty, was hoisted on the Ilchulbong. A total of 39 domestic and foreign vessels from countries including Brunei, the United States, Russia, India, and Thailand participated.
The government had previously allocated a budget of 4.385 billion won in the 2025 budget for the fleet review. The participation force for the International Fleet Review was expected to include around 70 vessels (40 domestic, 30 foreign) and about 20 aircraft. The total number of invited guests was estimated at 80,000 (70,000 domestic, 10,000 foreign), with plans for approximately 5,000 guests to attend the maritime review and 15,000 sailors from domestic and foreign navies to participate.
Furthermore, in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Liberation and the Navy, the 'International Maritime Power Symposium,' along with 'international exchange and cooperation events'—featuring bilateral talks, cultural exchange programs, and port entry welcoming ceremonies—were scheduled to take place. However, with the review of a postponement, these plans have become uncertain.
The Navy has primarily invited allies or defense cooperation partners in the past. Notably, although the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was an invitee for the 2018 International Fleet Review in Jeju, they did not participate following a controversy over the Rising Sun Flag. At the time, the Moon Jae-in administration requested that the Rising Sun Flag not be hoisted out of consideration for public sentiment, but the Japanese side refused.
The Rising Sun Flag is the military flag used by Japan during World War II and symbolizes militarism. Currently, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Maritime Self-Defense Force use it as their military flag; the Ground Self-Defense Force uses a version with eight sun rays, while the Maritime Self-Defense Force uses one with 16 rays. Japanese vessels flying the Rising Sun Flag participated in the international fleet reviews held in 1998 (Kim Dae-jung administration) and 2008 (Lee Myung-bak administration).