Tag: ROK Navy

Seok Hae-kyun (front row, 3rd from L), former captain of a South Korean ship hijacked and saved from Somali pirates, poses with naval officials in front of a monument on Jan. 21, 2016, in Busan, southeast of Seoul, that commemorates the successful commando rescue operation five years ago. Seok was the captain of the chemical carrier Samho Jewelry that was attacked by Somali pirates while sailing through the Arabian Sea. He was shot several times by the pirates during the rescue operation. (Yonhap)

Navy Lt. j.g. Chey Min-jung (C), the second daughter of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, salutes during a ceremony at a naval base in the port city of Busan on Dec. 23, 2015, to welcome home the 19th contingent of the 300-strong Cheonghae unit. The unit arrived at the port of Busan after completing a six-month stint in the Gulf of Aden aboard the destroyer, Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin, to combat pirates operating in waters off Somalia. (Yonhap)

South Korean naval destroyer Gang Gam-chan and its sailors are welcomed at a New York port on Nov. 22, 2015 (local time), as they arrive as part of a trip to 15 nations that participated in the 1950-53 Korean War. The 4,400-ton destroyer and a support ship left South Korea on Aug. 27 for the trip to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the establishment of the country’s Navy. They head out for Colombia on Nov. 25. (Yonhap)

The U.S. nuclear-propelled Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier (L) and the Aegis-equipped Sejong the Great-class destroyer sail in waters off South Korea’s east coast on Oct. 28, 2015, as 25 South Korean and U.S. warships take part in a joint naval exercise aimed at bolstering combat readiness and interoperability, in this photo provided by the Navy. (Yonhap)

It looks like the normal probing that occurs along the NLL by the North Koreans:

A North Korean patrol ship crossed the maritime border into the South on Saturday during a beefed-up crackdown on Chinese fishing boats operating near the border, the South Korean military said Sunday.

The South Korean Navy ship fired five warning shots with a 40 mm-caliber gun. The ship retreated to the North 18 minutes after the shots were fired. No damage was seen on the ship, Seoul authorities said.

Pyongyang called the South’s use of the gun a “deliberate military provocation,” warning that the inter-Korean relations could return to the point before the two sides struck a comprehensive deal on Aug. 25 to defuse cross-border tensions.

The North’s vessel came some 700 meters into the South Korean waters at around 3:30 p.m., according to Seoul authorities. At the time, the vessel was carrying out a stepped-up clampdown on some 100 Chinese vessels operating near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border.

“In the process of (the North) making its retreat, there was no naval clash or anything,” said a military official on condition of anonymity. “We are keeping closer tabs on the North Korean military’s movements and strengthening our readiness posture.”  [Korea Herald]

You can read more at the link.

South Korea sends a ship to Japanese naval review for first time since 2002. http://t.co/5EFsFrbemO pic.twitter.com/QGCFScTqgt

— Alastair Gale (@AlastairGale) October 18, 2015

This may seem insignificant, but I think it is another small step towards improving relations between the two countries that strategically have more to gain by working together instead of bickering for internal domestic political reasons:

This year will be the first time in 13 years that South Korea has dispatched a vessel to the review

For the first time in 13 years, the South Korean navy will dispatch a vessel to the international fleet review hosted by the Japanese navy. “The South Korean navy is planning to have one vessel participate in the international fleet review hosted by Japan‘s Maritime Self-Defense Forces on Oct. 18. The two navies are currently working out the details,” South Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sep. 7. A fleet review is a kind of maritime naval parade in which various military vessels are inspected together. South Korea agreed to participate in Japan’s fleet review during the meeting of the two countries’ defense ministers this May. During the meeting, the two ministers agreed that South Korea would take part in the review in the interest of strengthening bilateral defense cooperation. The last time that South Korea sent a ship to join a naval review hosted by Japan was 2002. Japan deployed vessels to fleet reviews hosted by South Korea in 1998 and 2008. The countries participating in the fleet review, which is being held at Yokosuka Harbor, Japan, include the US, Australia, India, and France.  [Hankyoreh]

You can read the rest at the link.

The photo shows a ceremony being held to launch the Navy’s sixth next-generation frigate Gwangju at the dock of STX Offshore and Shipbuilding Co. in Changwon, southeastern South Korea, on Aug. 11, 2015. The 2,300-ton ship is equipped with three-dimension scanning radar, a sonar torpedo detecting system as well as anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. (Yonhap)

The new submarine that the ROK is commissioning actually has some really good capabilities and range:

South Korea unveiled a new 1,800-ton attack submarine on Thursday amid its stepped-up efforts to cope with evolving maritime security challenges such as from North Korea.

The 214-class submarine, the country’s sixth, was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. and for the first time named after a woman ― Yu Gwan-sun, a venerated independent fighter during Japanese colonial rule.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Chung Ho-seop, other top military and industry officials and Yu’s families attended the launching ceremony held on Geojedo Island, South Gyeongsang Province.

“The submarine is equipped with antiship, antisubmarine and offensive mining operations capabilities and will be loaded with Korean cruise missiles capable of precision strikes against key facilities of the enemy,” the Navy said in a statement.

To be commissioned in November 2016, the diesel-powered sub has a maximum underwater speed of 20 knots (37 kilometers per hour), which makes it possible to travel between South Korea and Hawaii without refueling.

It will be operated by Air Independent Propulsion, which bolsters the vessel’s submerged endurance and allows the crew to carry out underwater missions for up to two weeks without access to atmospheric oxygen.

The Navy currently has 13 submarines: nine 1,200-ton, 209-class submarines and four 1,800-ton, 214-class submarines. By 2019, its fleet is slated to be expanded to 18 submarines with the addition of five 214-class submarines.  [Korea Herald]

You can read more at the link, but this submarine may be why the North Koreans have been reportedly conducting their own submarine based missile tests.