Gendale native Capt. Joseph Clingerman, who is stationed in South Korea, recently organized the Republic of Korea’s three-day International Fire and Light Festival, an event that highlights the U.S. Marine Corps’ strong alliance with that country.
Clingerman, logistics and Marine action officer for the festival, said the event “enhances harmony with the local citizens.” He also said the event “empowers our alliance with the Republic of Korea Marines and also the city of Pohang.”
Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan, participated in the annual multinational festival.
The event has been put on for more than 20 years, attracting more than 300,000 people per year. The international fireworks contest allows visitors to decide the winning team through an app. This year, for the first time, the fireworks show included 1,000 firework drones. The current Guinness record for fireworks drones is 1,063 units, and since Pohang is the city of “light” and “fire,” the goal is to present a larger-scale light drone show in the future.
First published in the June 29 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
