Republic of Korea Navy

The **Republic of Korea Navy** (**ROKN**; Korean: 대한민국 해군; Hanja: 大韓民國海軍), also known as the **ROK Navy** or **South Korean Navy**, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which functions as a branch of the Navy. The ROK Navy has about 70,000 regular personnel including 29,000 Republic of Korea Marines. There are about 140 commissioned ships in the ROK Navy. The naval aviation force consists of about 70 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. The ROK Marine Corps has about 300 tracked vehicles including assault amphibious vehicles.

The Republic of Korea Navy was established as the Marine Defense Group on November 11, 1945, after Korea was liberated from the Empire of Japan on August 15, 1945. Since the Korean War, the South Korean navy had concentrated its efforts on building naval forces to counteract hostilities of North Korea. 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.

### History

Korea has a long history of naval activity. In the late 4th century during the Three Kingdoms Period, Goguryeo defeated Baekje, fielding amphibious forces of 40,000 men in the process. In 732, the Balhae navy "attacked the Shandong peninsula and destroyed the biggest seaport of the Tang Empire in the east – Dengzhou." In the 9th century, Commissioner Chang Bogo of Unified Silla established a maritime base called Cheonghaejin on an island to foster trading with China and Japan, and to eradicate pirates.

In 1380, naval forces of the Goryeo Dynasty defeated 500 invading Japanese pirate vessels by deploying shipboard guns, devised by Choi Moosun. This is reportedly the first use of shipboard guns in naval history. In 1389 and 1419, Korean naval forces invaded Tsushima Island to suppress Japanese piracy. In the early years of the Joseon Dynasty, the naval force reached its peak of 50,000 personnel, in order to combat the ongoing piracy issue.

During the Japanese invasions of Korea (the Imjin War) in the 16th century, the Korean naval force commanded by Admiral Yi Sunshin, who later became the head of the navy, cut off the invaders' naval lifeline and defeated the Japanese fleet, reversing the war in favor of Joseon. Admiral Yi is also credited with the creation of the Turtle Ship.

By the end of the 19th century, the Joseon navy had no significant naval force other than coastal defense fortresses. In 1893, the Joseon court requested the British Consul-General to dispatch a naval officer for organizing a naval school in an attempt to modernize the navy. In September 1893, the navy school was established in Ganghwa Island. Lieutenant William H. Callwell, a retired British naval officer, and John W. Curtis, a gunnery instructor, served as instructors for 160 cadets and sailor recruits. However, the Royal Naval Academy was closed in November 1894, and the Joseon navy was brought to an end in 1895 due to the First Sino-Japanese War and the Gabo Reform. In 1903, the government of the Korean Empire purchased its first modern naval ship, KIS *Yangmu*. Korean naval tradition was disrupted after Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) built a considerable naval base – Chinkai Guard District in southern Korea (at present-day Jinhae).

The Republic of Korea Navy was established as the Marine Defense Group on November 11, 1945. After Korea was liberated from the Empire of Japan on August 15, 1945, Sohn Won-yil, a former merchant mariner and son of the Methodist minister and independence activist Sohn Jung-do, organized the Marine Defense Group in Seoul. The Group formed the Korean Coast Guard and Coast Guard Academy at Jinhae, and the Korean Coast Guard acquired 36 patrol boats (mainly ex-IJN and USN minecraft) through the United States Army Military Government in Korea. After the South Korean government was established on August 15, 1948, the Korean Coast Guard became the Republic of Korea Navy, and Sohn was appointed as the first Chief of Naval Operations of the ROK Navy. On April 15, 1949, the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) was founded at Jinhae.

In October 1949, the ROK Navy purchased a 600-ton submarine chaser, the former USS *PC-823* with funds raised among its personnel. She was renamed ROKS *Baekdusan* (PC 701) after Paektu Mountain, and became "the first significant warship of the newly independent nation".

The Korean War started with the North Korean army's surprise attack on Sunday, June 25, 1950. The ROK Navy confronted threats from the North Korean navy: "Perhaps the most aggressive and effective, if smallest, member of the South Korean armed services during the first year of the Korean War was the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). At the outset of the conflict, the 6,956-man ROKN, with [33] naval vessels of various types, was outnumbered by the 13,700 men and 110 naval vessels of the North Korean navy." With its UN allies, dominated by U.S. forces, the ROK Navy was able to gain control in the seas surrounding the country, as a task group of the UN Blockading and Escort Force (Task Force 95). On July 27, 1953, the three-year-long war was brought to an end when an armistice agreement was signed. During the war, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Philippines, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States contributed naval vessels as UN allies; Denmark sent the hospital ship *Jutlandia*. During the Korean War, the ROK Navy acquired 28 ex-USN ships including five *Tacoma*-class frigates.

In September 1953, the ROK Navy established the Republic of Korea Fleet, which was responsible for the operation and training of the ships.

After the Korean War, the ROK Navy built up its surface fleet with World War II-era warships loaned from the U.S. Navy. From 1955 to 1960, the ROK Navy acquired 42 ex-USN warships including two *Cannon*-class destroyer escorts. In May 1963, the ROK Navy acquired its first destroyer, ROKS *Chungmu* (DD 91), a *Fletcher*-class destroyer. Starting from 1972, nine former USN *Allen M. Sumner*-class and *Gearing*-class destroyers were transferred and added to the ROK Fleet inventory.

During the Vietnam War, the ROK Navy dispatched the Naval Transport Group ("Seagull"), and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps sent the 2nd Marine Brigade ("Blue Dragon") to South Vietnam. In April 1975, just before the Fall of Saigon, two ROKN LSTs evacuated about 1,300 South Vietnamese and South Koreans from South Vietnam to South Korea.

On July 30, 1960, ROKS *Gangwon* (DE 72), formerly USS *Sutton* (DE-771), sank the North Korean navy patrol craft *PBS 371* off the coast of Geojin. On January 19, 1967, ROKS *Dangpo* (PCE 56), the former USS *Marfa*, was sunk by North Korean coastal artillery north of the demarcation line off the east coast of Korea. In June 1970, a Navy broadcast vessel (*I 2*) was captured and abducted by North Korean patrol craft in the vicinity of Yeonpyeong Islands in the West Sea (Yellow Sea).

On February 22, 1974, a Navy harbor tug (*YTL 30*) capsized off Tongyeong, resulting in death of 153 Navy, Coast Guard recruits and 6 sailors.

In the 1970s, through the Park Chung Hee Administration's "*Yulgok* Operation", a secret effort to strengthen domestic arms production, the ROK Navy began to establish a fleet of locally built warships. The Navy acquired shipbuilding capabilities by planning and building high-speed patrol craft such as *Baekgu* class and *Chamsuri* class in the 1970s – in November 1972, the ROK Navy launched its first domestically built fast patrol craft to intercept North Korean spy boats. The lead ship (FF 951) of the 2,000-ton *Ulsan*-class frigates was launched in 1980. The lead ship (PCC 751) of the 1,000-ton *Donghae*-class corvettes and the lead ship (PCC 756) of the updated *Pohang*-class corvettes were launched in 1982 and 1984 respectively. With local shipbuilders, the ROK Navy continued to carry out other shipbuilding programs for such as the *Dolgorae-*class midget submarine, *Gojunbong-*class tank landing ship, mine warfare ship (*Wonsan-*class minelayer, *Ganggyeong-*class minesweeper), *Cheonji-*class logistics support ship, and *Cheonghaejin*-class submarine rescue ship in the 1980s and 1990s.

In November 1987, the Headquarters Republic of Korea Marine Corps was re-established; it was disbanded in October 1973 due to budget constraint. In June 1993, the ROK Navy Headquarters was relocated from Seoul to the Gyeryongdae complex, the tri-service headquarters in Gyeryong.

Since the 1990s, the ROK Navy has been trying to build an ocean-going fleet to protect its sea lines of communication. In 1989, the Navy mentioned the "Strategic Task Fleet" (*Jeollyak-gidong-hamdae*) in the Joint Strategic Objectives Plan. The ROK Naval forces began to participate in RIMPAC exercises from 1990. During Admiral An Pyong-tae's tenure as CNO, President Kim Young-sam supported the Navy by approving a long-term shipbuilding plan for the ocean-going navy. In 1999, the Navy developed 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 steadily upgraded its naval forces: In order to strengthen the surface combatants, the ROK Navy launched the lead ship (DDH 971) of the *Kwanggaeto the Great*-class destroyer in 1996 to replace the former USN destroyers. For building up a submarine force, the ROK Navy acquired its first submarine (other than midget submarines), ROKS *Chang Bogo* (SS 061), from Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany in 1992. In order to replace its antiquated S-2 Tracker anti-submarine warfare aircraft, the ROK Navy purchased a squadron of P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, which were delivered starting in 1995.

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 of the coast of Busan and Jinhae.

In June 1999, the ROK and DPRK naval forces met in the First Battle of Yeonpyeong near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the vicinity of Yeonpyeong Islands. On June 29, 2002, the two navies engaged again in the same vicinity, resulting in the sinking of ROKS *Chamsuri 357* (PKM 357).

In 2002, the lead ship (DDH 975) of the 4,800-ton *Chungmugong Yi Sunshin*-class destroyers was launched. In 2005, an 18,800-ton amphibious transport dock, ROKS *Dokdo* (LPH 6111) was launched. In 2006, the ROK Navy launched the lead ship (SS 072), which was named after the first Chief of Naval Operations, of the 1,800-ton *Sohn Wonyil*-class submarine equipped with an Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. In May 2007, the ROK Navy launched the lead ship (DDG 991) of the 11,000-ton *Sejong the Great*-class destroyers, built around the American-made AEGIS combat system and the SPY-1D(v) multi-function phased array radar. In December 2008, the ROK Navy commissioned the fast missile craft ROKS *Yoon Youngha* (PKG 711), which was named after the skipper of ROKS *Chamsuri 357*.

From 2001 to 2003, a naval transport unit called *Haeseong* supported Operation Enduring Freedom and the *Sangnoksu* Unit in East Timor. In 2005, the Navy dispatched transport unit *Jejung* to supply aid in humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The ROK Navy hosted its second international fleet review off coast of Busan in October 2008 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the South Korean government.

On March 26, 2010, ROKS *Cheonan* (PCC 772), a *Pohang*-class corvette was sunk by a North Korean torpedo, resulting in the deaths of 46 sailors near Baengnyeong Island, in the vicinity of the Northern Limit Line.