The Republic of Korea Navy, 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.
Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyers are multipurpose destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship of this class, ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sunsin, was launched in May 2002 and commissioned in December 2003. Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers were the second class of ships to be produced in the Republic of Korea Navy's destroyer mass-production program named Korean Destroyer eXperimental, which paved the way for the navy to become a blue-water navy. Six ships were launched by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in four years.
The Sejong the Great-class destroyers, also known as KDX-III, are guided-missile destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN).
The Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyers, often called KDX-I, are destroyers, but are classified by some as frigates, operated by the Republic of Korea Navy. It was the first phase of ROKN's KDX program, in moving the ROK Navy from a coastal defence force to a blue-water navy.
The Hyunmoo-3 is a supersonic cruise missile fielded by the South Korean military designed by Agency for Defense Development (ADD). The name Hyunmoo comes from the mythical Black Tortoise described as the "Guardian of the Northern Sky", perhaps hinting North Korea.
JS Kongō (DDG-173) is a Kongō-class guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Kongō is the third Japanese naval vessel named after Mount Kongō. She was laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Nagasaki on 8 May 1990. The launching ceremony took place on 26 September 1991 and she was commissioned on 25 March 1993. She was the first ship outside of the United States to feature the Aegis combat system and its ballistic missile defense capability.
ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976) is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer in the South Korean navy. It was named after the Korean king Munmu of Silla.
ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (DDH-975) is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after the Joseon Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin with his posthumous name, Chungmugong, literally “Lord of Loyal Valor”.
The Incheon-class frigates, also known as the Future Frigate eXperimental or FFX during development, are coastal defense frigates of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship was launched on 29 April 2011. The Incheon-class frigates will replace the aging fleet of Pohang-class corvettes and Ulsan-class frigates, and take over multi-role operations such as coast patrol, anti-submarine warfare and transport support. Later batches are planned to be specialized on anti-air and anti-submarine warfare. An improved version is being introduced as the Daegu-class frigate; this was previously known as Batch II of the Incheon class.
ROKS Jeonnam (FF-957) is the sixth ship of the Ulsan-class frigate in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after the province, Jeonnam.
The Korean Next-Generation Destroyer (KDDX) is a next generation stealth guided-missile destroyer under development by Hyundai Heavy Industries for ROK Navy, to be launched after 2025. Displacement of the class is set to be about 8,000 tons, length 155 meters, breadth 18.8 meters and draft 9.5 meters. Will feature KVLS to launch Hyunmoo-3C land-attack cruise missiles and SSM-700K anti-ship missiles. At 8000 tons displacement, it will be lighter than Sejong the Great-class destroyers, but with more advanced sensors and stealth characteristics and lower operating costs. The ships will have advanced missile defense. The size of this new destroyer would be between that of the currently operating 4,200-ton KDX-II and the Aegis Destroyer KDX-III, and would be assigned to a naval task force. The total cost of developing and producing the six vessels is expected to top $6.2 billion.
ROKS Yulgok Yi I (DDG-992) is the second ship of the Sejong the Great-class destroyers that was built for the Republic of Korea Navy. She was designed around the Aegis Combat System and was named after philosopher and scholar of the Joseon Dynasty, Yulgok Yi I.
ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong is the third ship of the Sejong the Great-class destroyers built for the Republic of Korean Navy. She was the third Aegis-built ship of the service and was named after a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong.
ROKS Dae Jo-yeong (DDH-977) is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after Dae Jo-yeong.
ROKS Wang Geon (DDH-978) is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after Wang Geon.
ROKS Gang Gam-chan (DDH-979) is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after Gang Gam-chan.
ROKS Gwanggaeto the Great (DDH-971) is the lead ship of the Gwanggaeto the Great-class in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after Gwanggaeto the Great.
ROKS Eulji Mundeok (DDH-972) is the second ship of the Gwangaetto the Great-class in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after Eulji Mundeok.
ROKS Yang Man-chun (DDH-973) is the third ship of the Gwangaetto the Great-class in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after Yang Man-chun.
ROKS Jeongjo the Great (DDG-995) is the fourth ship the of the Sejong the Great class of guided missile destroyers built for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), and the first of four KDX III Batch II ships to be built. She is the fourth Aegis-built destroyer of the service and was named after the 22nd monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea, Jeongjo of Joseon.
South Korea
