South Korea Launches New Submarine: the “Jeongji”
by Richardson ~ June 13th, 2007. Filed under: ROK Miltary.
South Korea Wednesday launched its newest attack submarine, amid tensions with North Korea over their disputed sea border. The 1,800-ton diesel-electric submarine, the second of its size in the fleet, was launched at a Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in the southeastern city of Ulsan. The submarine is named “Jeongji” after a Korean military officer of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) who won victories against the Japanese. It will be commissioned late next year.
“Jeongji’s launch is another feat showing our will to maintain self-reliant defence and strengthen military capability,” said Defence Minister Kim Jang-Soo. South Korea is planning a blue-water fleet to keep pace with regional naval build-ups. Last month it launched its first Aegis destroyer, a warship equipped with advanced air and sea weaponry and built at a cost of one billion dollars.
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The 65.3-metre (215-foot) Jeongji, developed in partnership with Germany’s Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, can carry more than 40 crew.
It is equipped with torpedoes, mines, anti-warship guided missiles and the Air Independent Propulsion system to enhance underwater operational capability.
South Korea also has several older diesel-electric submarines, made by the German firm.
It plans to launch its third 1,800-ton submarine next year and aims to develop nine 3,000-ton submarines from 2010 to 2021 with its own technology.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Does anyone else find it odd that the Japanese are the eternal enemy race because of their actions in the past, so they release battle ships etc with names referencing their battles with the Japanese….
…. and they’re co-developed with German companies? Shouldn’t Germans also be bad-guys because someone of the German race once did something bad too?
I just think it’s really immature to keep releasing so much anti-Japanese stuff when Japan is probably the country Korea should be working to be friendly with since she’l l be the one helping most to pay for reunification, or defending against an invading China (again) which ever way it goes.
Can you imagine if we released the USS Fuck-You Bin Laden? It’s just silly.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
The Aegis destroyer launched last month was named after King Sejong, a genuinely good choice (he invented Hangul, the Korean alphabet), but the Chosun Ilbo repeatedly made comparisons to Japanese craft, of course emphasizing that Japan has nothing as powerful. I’m hoping South Korea will grow out of it while I’m still alive.
June 14th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
hahaha
That is hilarious. The USS Fuck-You Bin Laden.
I guess we should cut SK some slack. They just came out of being a third world country a generation ago, so the nationalistic sentiments are still alive and well to compensate for the damage to their cultural identity from Japanese occupation and third world status. I’m sure rivalry with China will over take that with Japan, as SK will have much more in common politically, economically, and culturaly with Japan than China. The conflict in historical claims with China over the Goryeo kingdom will also create common cause with Japans rivalry with China.
This submarine, the German type 214, is probably the best in the world for it’s class, and is particularly well suited for the theater of operations around Korea.
June 25th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
[...] coverage available as follows: South Korea Wednesday launched its newest attack submarine, amid tensions with North Korea over their disputed sea border. [...]