South Korea marks 60th anniversary of historic battle with dramatic re-enactment involving hundreds of troops

South Korea has staged a dramatic military re-enactment to mark the 60th anniversary of one of the most important battles of the Korean War.

Around 14,000 people took part in the event, which involved ships, aircraft and soldiers from South Korea, Australia and the United States, at the coastal city of Incheon.

The re-enactment of the Incheon Landing took place despite protests from North Korea that the original landing was a 'crime committed with the aims of bringing down the Korean people'.

A North Korea state newspaper said the ceremony was planned to deliberately provoke Pyongyang and showed its enemies' 'ambition for invasion... remains unchanged though over half a century has passed'.

The rapid amphibious invasion was followed by a bloody 11-day advance in Seoul, with U.S General Edward Almond eventually declaring the city liberated on September 25 1950

South Korea, with the help of the US military, has staged numerous 'War Games' in recent years.

The massive military drills are designed to be a show of strength to counteract the continual threatening behaviour by North Korea.

The event on Wednesday involved veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War from nine countries.

Twelve ships, 16 aircraft and some 200 marines from South Korea, the U.S. and Australia took part in the event, which included a mock landing, marine reconnaissance diving and a fly-past.
The original landing at the coastal city of Incheon in September 1950 by United Nations Forces, led by U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, occurred just months after North Korea invaded the South, sparking the conflict.

The hugely successful mission is seen by historians at a turning point in the war, ending a string of victories by the invading North Korean People's Army (NKPA) and resulting in the subsequent recapture of the South's capital Seoul.

The rapid amphibious invasion was followed by a bloody 11-day advance in Seoul, with U.S General Edward Almond eventually declaring the city liberated on September 25.
The two Koreas have technically remained at war ever since after the fighting ended with an armistice, with no peace treaty ever agreed.

Relations between the two nations have worsened in recent months after the South blamed Pyongyang of sinking one of its warships in March.

Last week the North released four South Korean fisherman who had been held for a month after being accused of illegally straying into North Korea's waters.

Controversial: The dramatic re-enactment took place despite protests from North Korea that the original landing was a 'crime committed with the aims of bringing down the Korean people'

A South Korean Navy hovercraft travels past U.S. Navy's amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver during a mock landing operation in the sea off Incheon

Landing: The event involved ships, aircraft and soldiers from South Korea, Australia and the United States

Historic battle: South Korean amphibious vehicles joined the mock landing operation in the sea off Incheon where United Nations forces landed in September 1950

U.S. and the South Korean Marine landing crafts sail to shores in a smoke screen near the Dokdo Ham, South Korean Navy's 14,000 ton-class large-deck landing ship

History: The original landing, by United Nations Forces and led by U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, took place at the coastal city of Incheon in September 1950

Around 14,000 people took part in the re-enactment to mark the 60th anniversary of the historic landing which historians claim marked a turning point in the Korean War