page_title: History of the Republic of Korea Navy
section_title: 1990s
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Republic of Korea Navy / 1990s
caption_attribution_description: 한국어: 초대형 태풍 하이옌으로 도움이 절실한 필리핀을 지원하기위해 지난 16일부터 우리 정부에서 제공하는 구호물자와 구호인력을 싣고 공군 C-130 수송기 2대를 파견했다. 이를 위해 공군15특수임무비행단을 중심으로 46명으로 구성된 구호팀은 구호물자를 하역한 후 현지에 마지막으로 남아있던 우리 교민과 현지 이재민 등 100여 명을 C-130 수송기에 태우고 세부 막탄 공항으로 옮겼다. 우리 공군이 해외 임무 수행 중 해외 이재민들을 직접 수송한 것은 이번이 처음이다. 공군 구호팀은 하루 2∼4차례 세부와 타클로반을 오가며 임무를 수행하고 있다.
context_page_description: The Republic of Korea Navy was founded on November 11, 1945 as Marine Defense Group after Korea was liberated from the Empire of Japan. The ROK Navy is the oldest service within the ROK Armed Forces. In 2015, the South Korean navy celebrated its 70th anniversary.
  Since the Korean War, the ROK Navy had concentrated its efforts on building naval forces against the North Korean navy, which has littoral naval capabilities. As South Korea's economy grew, the ROK Navy was able to locally build larger and better equipped fleets to deter aggression, to protect the sea lines of communication, and to support the nation's foreign policy. As part of its mission, the ROK Navy has engaged in several peacekeeping operations since the turn of the 21st century.
  The ROK Navy aims to become a blue-water navy in the 2020s.
context_section_description: Since the 1990s, the ROK Navy has been trying to build an ocean-going fleet to protect the sea lines of communication as South Korea's dependence on foreign trade increases: In 1989, the Navy mentioned the "Strategic Task Fleet" (Jeollyak-gidong-hamdae) in the Joint Strategic Objectives Plan. The ROK Naval forces began to participated in RIMPAC exercise from 1990 (ROKS Seoul (FF 952), ROKS Masan (FF 953) for RIMPAC 1990). On March 8, 1991, when giving the commencement speech at the ROK Naval Academy's graduation ceremony, President Roh Tae-woo addressed that the Navy should transform into the "blue-water navy". In 1992, the ROK Navy ships - ROKS Chungnam (FF 953) and ROKS Masan (FF 955) of the Cruise Training Unit circumnavigated the world for the first time. On March 24, 1995, President Kim Young-sam affirmed that the Navy should have the Task Fleet and pave the way for a new era of blue-water navy when speaking at the Naval Academy's graduation. On April 1, 1995, Admiral An Pyong-tae, the 20th Chief of Naval Operations, reaffirmed that the Navy should prepare to build the blue-water navy in his inaugural address. President Kim supported the Navy by approving a long-term shipbuilding plan for the ocean-going navy. In 1999, the Navy presented its strategic vision for the 2020s as "Navy Vision 2020" that outlined the Navy's future Task Fleet, which includes light aircraft carriers and ballistic missile submarines.
  At the same time, the ROK Navy has been steadily upgrading its naval forces: As part of the plan to strengthen the surface combatant forces, ROKS Kwanggaeto the Great (DDH 971), the ROK Navy's first locally built destroyer, was launched in 1996; the Kwanggaeto the Great class destroyers replaced the aged former USN Allen M. Sumner-class and Gearing-class destroyer. For building submarines forces, the ROK Navy acquired its first submarine (excluding midget submarines) ROKS Chang Bogo (SS 061) from Germany in 1992. The following eight Chang Bogo-class submarines were built in Korea. In order to replace the aged S-2 Trackers, Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft were delivered to the ROK Navy from 1995.
  In June 1993, the ROK Navy Headquarters was relocated from Seoul to the Gyeryongdae complex, the tri-service headquarters in Gyeryong. In November 1999, the ROK Navy completed the construction of Pyeongtaek Naval Operations Base; Commander Second Fleet was relocated from Incheon Naval Base to the newly established base with an operational headquarters.
  In October 1998, the ROK Navy hosted its first International Fleet Review in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of  Korea and its armed forces off coast of Busan and Jinhae. About 60 ships from 12 countries participated in the fleet review including the South Korean navy.
  In June 1999, the ROK Navy forces engaged the North Korea naval forces near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the vicinity of Yeonpyeong Island. In June 2002, the two Navies engaged again in the same vicinity resulting in the sinking of ROKS Chamsuri 357 (PKM 357).
caption: ROKS Kwanggaeto the Great (DDH 971), the Navy's first indigenously built destroyer
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