Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The Navy's 18th Yun Youngha class missile patrol ship (PKG), ‘Jeonbyeongik Ship,’ has become an official South Korean Naval ship with flying commission pennants.

The 8th Naval Combat Training Group held a commissioning ceremony for Jeonbyeongik Ship at the Jinhae naval port on January 11. The ceremony was attended by nearly 100 persons, including rear admiral Han, Dongjin, head of the 8th Combat Training Group, commanders and soldiers of the navy and the army in the Jinhae area, and persons related to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.

The ceremony was made more meaningful by the attendance of a colonel in the reserve Choi, Young-seop, advisor of the See Explorers of Korea, who sank enemy troop transport vehicles along with the late sergeant Jeon, Byeong-ik during the Battle of Korea Strait, fought during the Korean War, the crews of Baekdusan, and the family of sergeant Jeon, Byeong-ik.

The 400-ton class Jeonbyeongik Ship is the last Yun Youngha class missile patrol ship, at 63m in full length, 9m in full width, and about 40 knots (about 74㎞ per hour) as its maximum speed. It is armed with anti-ship missiles and naval guns and can perform anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, and electronic warfare. The security of the ship has been strengthened by the application of stealth techniques and functionally distributed command and control.

"Jeonbyeongik Ship will become a ship with the best soldiers, succeeding the late sergeant Jeon, Byeong-ik's patriotic spirit and the spirit of marine protection," said lieutenant commander Jeon, Byeong-seo, the first captain of the Jeonbyeongik Ship.

After the commissioning ceremony, Advisor Choi made a special address for the enhancement of moral strength and the will to fight among all the soldiers of the Jeonbyeongik Ship.

The Jeonbyeongik Ship is scheduled to be deployed around May and be put to perform its mission in marine protection after going through force integration and an assessment of its capabilities in conducting operations.

By Byeong-No, Yun <trylover@dema.mil.kr >

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