A ceremony to mark the sixth Yellow Sea Defense Day will be held at the Second Navy Fleet headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. 

It will mark the first time the event has been held at the navy fleet headquarters since the government designated the fourth Friday in March as Yellow Sea Defense Day in 2016.

The day commemorates the 55 patriotic servicemen who sacrificed their lives defending the Yellow Sea in three North Korean military provocations in 2002 and 2010 - a skirmish near Yeonpyeong Island, the sinking of the Cheonan warship and the deadly shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.

According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, some 200 people will attend the ceremony, including bereaved family members and key government officials.

The Second Navy Fleet headquarters houses a monument dedicated to those who fought in the second inter-Korean naval clash near Yeonpyeong Island and the hull of the Cheonan corvette.