The modernization of the South Korean High Seas Navy

For several years, the Republic of South Korea has undertaken an in-depth modernization of its defense tools, based in particular on the rapid development of its own defense industry. This modernization also affects armored vehicles, notably the Black battle tank. Panther, combat aviation, with the KFX program, and the Navy, with an unparalleled effort to transform the South Korean Navy into a high-seas Navy, and make it one of the main players in the Pacific theater.

After acquiring the technologies necessary to develop its own buildings, and its own systems, South Korea is now developing its own solutions, and even achieving export successes, in the fields of submarines as well as surface vessels. This development took place in two stages:

• During the 90s and 2000s, the South Korean Navy focused on moving from the status of coastal defense navy to offshore navy, for example through the acquisition of submarines Type 209 / 214 with TKMS, and the construction of Destroyers, Frigates and Corvettes with the assistance of Westerners, especially Europeans. It was at this time that she began to participate in major international exercises, such as RIMPAC, and that the first large-tonnage vessels, such as the Destroyers Gwanggaeto the Great were launched.
• From the 2010s, it began its transformation into a deep-sea navy, further significantly increasing the tonnage of vessels, as well as their armament. It is this phase that we will detail here.

This progressive approach enabled the Korean navy, like its naval industry, to gradually acquire the know-how and technologies necessary to ensure this transformation, while integrating this progress into a controlled economic envelope. The future of the South Korean Navy rests on 4 main types of buildings: attack submarines, destroyers, frigates and LHDs.

Attack submarines

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