Free Concert by ROK Navy Band presented at the CCPA

In July 2010, representatives from the Republic of Korea Navy visited the City of Cerritos to honor Korean War veterans for their service and sacrifice in the United States military during the Korean War.  Also at that time, the ROK Navy Band performed an extraordinary show at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.

The ROK Navy is returning this year, and a more extensive performance by the ROK Navy Band is planned at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in honor of Korean War veterans at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 8, 2012 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.  The theater is located at 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos.  Free, well-lighted parking is available adjacent to the theater.

The free program will include a special entrance by Korean War veterans and an opening ceremony by the Cerritos City Council.  In addition to the ROK Navy Band, the concert will feature performances of Korean traditional and pop music, plus singing and drumming. Tae Kwon Do demonstrations and a color guard presentation will also be offered. Tickets for the public were fully distributed in two days, last Friday and Saturday. People may have a chance to attend the performance by waiting in the stand-by line on the day of the performance.

Korean War veterans can still make a reservation to attend the concert by calling Mr. Kiyong Ma at (562) 404-0110 or (213) 435-0110, or by sending an e-mail message to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>  by October 3, 2012.  Korean War veterans and their guests are asked to arrive at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts by 6:30 p.m. on October 8 and to check in at the Sierra Room located adjacent to the lobby. Veterans and their guests will make a special entrance into the theater as guests of honor.

It is the tenth time for the Korean Navy’s Cruise Training Group to visit Los Angeles, calling at the city for the first time in 1980. The 2012 Cruise Training Task Group (led by Admiral Park, Moon Young) will arrive at the third port of call, Los Angeles, on October 6, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. The task group, composed of about 630 servicemen, includes more than 130 members of the ROK Naval Academy 67th class. The ROK Navy members are arriving on the ROK Ship Chungmugong Yi Sun Shin (DDH-II), built with Korea’s state-of-the-art technology and featuring a full-displacement of 5,500 ton, and the ROK Ship Dae Chung logistics support ship, with a full-displacement of 9,170 tons.

The group is planning additional activities during its four-day visit, such as visiting the commander of the US Army 40th division, which participated in four battles, including the Geum-sung district battle and the Battle of Heartbreak Bridge. In the evening of the second day, the group will hold an onboard reception on the ROK Chungmugong Yi Sun Shin and ROK Dae Chung ships. Korean War Veterans and residents of Los Angeles are invited. During the reception, the task group, on behalf of the Korean government, will play a “Thank You” video to express gratitude for the veterans who fought in the Korean War in defense of the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea. Meanwhile, ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sun Shin and ROKS Dae Chung of the training group will open their ships to the public from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm on October 6 and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on October 7 and 8. The task group will set sail for its fourth port of call, Acapulco, Mexico, on October 9, 2012.