General Douglas MacArthur remains a towering figure in Incheon, South Korea. From his statue perched atop Freedom Park, the late American general overlooks the narrow channel connecting the city to the Yellow Sea.
Exactly 75 years ago this September, tens of thousands of U.S. and South Korean Marines, under MacArthur’s daring leadership, braved intense enemy fire to assault the Incheon shoreline and scale its formidable sea walls. This decisive action led to the recapture of the city from North Korean forces and the liberation of Seoul, South Korea’s capital, located just 25 miles to the east.
The Incheon Landing, hailed as the U.S. military’s most audacious amphibious assault since D-Day in Normandy, dramatically shifted the momentum of the Korean War, cementing MacArthur’s legacy in South Korea. In Incheon, his memory is woven into the city’s identity, marked by annual commemorative ceremonies.
A statue of a man, holding a pair of binoculars in one hand, gazes into the distance from a pedestal. The statue of General Douglas MacArthur at Freedom Park in September.
South Korean and U.S. Marines marched down an Incheon street on Sept. 14.
On Sunday, Incheon witnessed a vibrant parade of South Korean and U.S. Marines, met with cheers and waving flags from enthusiastic onlookers. The following day, marking the landing’s anniversary, amphibious assault vehicles roared into the harbor, with Marines later raising the South Korean flag on a pier while a large screen displayed historic black-and-white images of the original landing.
While the Incheon landing signifies America’s steadfast commitment to South Korea’s defense, Incheon’s annual “We Remember” events reflect the enduring gratitude many South Koreans feel towards the United States. However, recent tensions, including significant tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on South Korean exports and the arrest of hundreds of its citizens building a factory in Ellabell, Ga., have strained the alliance.
This isn’t the first time the dynamics of the relationship with Washington have faced scrutiny. Some progressives view America not as a savior but as a domineering power, even demanding the removal of the MacArthur statue, famously built in 1957 with citizen donations, once leading to a fire being set on its pedestal.
The military maneuver is commemorated at the Memorial Hall for Incheon Landing Operation in the city.
A monument marks Green Beach, one of the primary landing areas of the Incheon Landing.
Despite these political undercurrents, Incheon proceeded with its annual commemoration, underscoring its unique role in South Korea’s modern narrative and its deep ties with the United States.
“Without the Incheon landing, South Korea as we know it would not have existed,” stated Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong Bok. “It reminds us that a strong alliance is essential to keep South Korea free and defend the free world.”
On September 15, 1950, Allied transport ships stretched across the Incheon channel. American Marines descended cargo nets into landing craft as warships shelled the beaches to weaken enemy defenses, while Allied planes provided air support, bombing and strafing the sea walls.
General MacArthur, center, observed the shelling of the enemy before the landing at Incheon.
Re-enacting of the Incheon Landing on Monday, its 75th anniversary. It was the U.S. military’s most daring amphibious assault since D-Day in Normandy.
Today, Incheon’s bustling port vividly illustrates the stark contrast between a globalized South Korea and its isolated northern neighbor.
Luxury cruise ships now share the waters with commercial vessels transporting South Korean exports like Kia cars and importing essential oil and natural gas. Towering port silos and derricks now stand where U.S. Marines once scaled sea walls. Wolmido, an Incheon islet once devastated by American napalm strikes during the landing, now features a lively amusement park filled with the screams of children on roller coasters.
The map locates Incheon, the city and port in northwestern South Korea, not far from Seoul, the capital.
To the south, former mud flats have transformed into piers laden with shipping containers and the advanced Songdo free economic zone, hosting American university branches, a flourishing biotech industry, and shimmering skyscrapers housing United Nations offices. Incheon is rapidly growing, surpassing Busan in economic output and ranking second only to Seoul.
Incheon Port now encompasses what was known as Red Beach, one of the primary landing areas.
Young couples and students in Incheon once flocked to the MacArthur statue for wedding and school album photos. Even shamans adopted the deceased American general as a deity, performing rituals around his likeness, recounts You Dong-hyun, former director of the Incheon Metropolitan City Museum. While the shamans are gone, a recent evening saw an old man chanting Buddhist verses around the statue, while others simply walked their dogs.
“There is respect for General MacArthur and American troops sacrificed during the landing,” said Lee Sang-suk, 60. “Their image as the national savior is especially strong among old generations here.”
Yong Suck Shin, a retired journalist, vividly remembers receiving chocolates from American Marines after Incheon’s liberation at age 9. This year, he helped curate an exhibition honoring Marguerite Higgins, an American war correspondent who famously reported on the landing alongside the Marines.
“I am so proud of the landing that when I traveled abroad, I used to carry a photo of the MacArthur statue so I could explain where I came from,” Mr. Shin proudly stated.
For centuries, Korea was known as a hermit kingdom, only opening to trade in the late 1800s when Incheon was merely a collection of muddy fishing huts. Its strategic proximity to Seoul led Japan, China, and the United States to establish trade posts there.
People walking down a city street with red buildings and signage in Chinese. Incheon became a gateway to South Korea, and its Chinatown was the birthplace of a national noodle dish called jajangmyeon.
People standing near a body of water, with a large boat sailing by. Wolmido is now a tourist attraction with a ferry dock, seafood restaurants and theme parks along the pier.
American missionaries also entered through Incheon, introducing Western medicine and education, contributing to the roughly 30 percent of South Koreans who identify as Christian today. The nation’s first railway, highway, and telegraph lines originated in Incheon, as did its inaugural baseball and soccer games. The historic port area now draws tourists with its museums, turn-of-the-century themed alleys, and its vibrant Chinatown, famed as the birthplace of the national noodle dish, jajangmyeon.
“Modern civilization arrived in Korea through Incheon,” noted Vice Mayor Hwang Hyojin.
After the war, Incheon attracted migrants seeking work unloading American aid shipments or in the burgeoning local factories. Yet, it was consistently overshadowed by its larger neighbor, Seoul, serving more as a transit point than a destination.
This began to shift in the early 2000s with the establishment of Incheon International Airport, one of the world’s largest, and the Songdo free economic zone, both developed on reclaimed land.
A bird’s-eye view of an urban area with skyscrapers and a large park in the center. Central Park in Songdo, which is built on reclaimed land.
A boy walking below a feathery art installation that is providing shade. Triple Street, a popular mall in Songdo, Incheon.
At Monday’s ceremony, Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer in South Korea, declared: “The Republic of Korea that we see today — strong, prosperous and democratic — stands as living proof of what can be accomplished when allies and partners join together.”
However, this historical narrative resonates less with younger generations who, unlike their grandparents, have not experienced war. The Trump administration’s policies have further complicated this sentiment.
“This year’s ceremonies came at a bad time because people feel humiliated by the Georgia episode,” remarked Mr. You, the former museum director. “Some people were so angered by it that they say South Korea should align itself with China, although I don’t think they are serious when they say so.”
For Kim Young-rak, 49, the Incheon landing holds renewed significance, especially given North Korea’s expanding nuclear threat and the escalating rivalry between the United States and China.
“The Americans crossed the Pacific 75 years ago to help push back Communists barreling down the Korean Peninsula,” said Mr. Kim, who attended Sunday’s parade with his wife and son. “South Korea and the United States must band together again to deter North Korea and China.”