Thursday marks the fifth anniversary of the North Korean torpedo attack on the Cheonan corvette in the West Sea, in which 46 officers and sailors perished in the dark waters.

As in the past four years, Koreans will solemnly pay tributes to the patriots who sacrificed their lives in the defense of the nation. A memorial service is to be held at the National Cemetery in Daejeon, where the fallen Cheonan crew lie in state, and other events will commemorate the anniversary.

Despite the passage of time, many still vividly remember the shocking news of the unprovoked attack perpetrated by a North Korean submarine against the corvette on a routine mission in our own territorial waters. The unforgivable act must remain a reminder of the North’s bellicosity.

The North Korean provocation has changed a lot. In the military aspect, it led to, among other things, augmentation of the South Korean fighting power in the region, including the creation of the North-West Islands Defense Command. More recently, the Navy established a submarine command last month.

Politically, the issue of the Cheonan sinking which had heightened tensions on the peninsula is still pending between the two Koreas. North Korea has not yet accepted its responsibility, despite the evidence like parts of a North Korean-made torpedo recovered by the South.

The May 24 sanctions imposed by Seoul on Pyongyang over the attack also stand in the way of South-North relations because they ban economic cooperation and assistance for the North.

In the South, it is sad that some wrong-headed people still challenge the government’s announcement that Cheonan was destroyed by a North Korean torpedo. It is preposterous ― all the more so thinking about the young sailors who sank with the ship ― that some people still believe or spread the rumors that the naval ship ran aground or the attack came from a U.S. submarine.

On this year’s anniversary, we cannot but feel extra shame because of the raging corruption scandals in the Navy, which tarnished the reputation of the proud branch of our military. The scandals have already sent two former chiefs of the branch and more to jail.

Charges against Hwang Ki-chul, former Navy Chief of Staff who was taken into custody Sunday, are indeed despicable. While serving as the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s naval ships department, Hwang allegedly ignored or ordered fabrication of the test results for parts for the Tongyeong rescue and salvage ship. We can easily imagine what would have been the reward for such favors to suppliers.

Investigators say as a result, the Navy acquired an outdated 200 million-worth sonar radar system for 4.1 billion won. This substandard device kept Tongyeong, the nation’s first-ever rescue and salvage ship, from joining the rescue operations for the Sewol ferry in April last year.

What further enrages us is that the Navy hurried to build the Tongyeong vessel because of the sinking of the Cheonan ship. In other words, Navy commanders who lost their men in the Cheonan sinking were pocketing money through a project that was prompted by the incident.

Hwang is not the only dirty admiral who tainted the honor of the Navy built up by heroes like the fallen Cheonan crew. Jung Ok-keun, another ex-Navy chief of staff, was sentenced to two years in prison in January on conviction of taking 700 million won in bribery. He is also suspected of involvement in the supply of faulty parts for Tongyeong.

Hwang resigned from the top naval post Feb. 23 as investigators were closing in on him. Otherwise, he would have presided over Thursday’s memorial service for the Cheonan crew. It is fortunate that we could keep people like Hwang far away from the graves of our proud heroes.