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| ▲ The new 8,200-ton Jeongjo the Great destroyer, equipped with the latest Aegis combat system, docks at a naval base on the southern resort island of Jeju on Feb. 1, 2025, in this photo released the following day. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, taken Feb. 3, 2025, shows a ceremony being held at a naval port on the southern tip of South Korea's southern island of Jeju to launch the Republic of Korea Navy Task Fleet Command aimed at better responding to North Korea's military threats at sea. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Navy-new fleet command
(LEAD) Navy holds ceremony marking launch of new fleet command
(ATTN: ADDS remarks in paras 4-6, photo)
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- The Navy held a ceremony on Monday to mark the establishment of a new fleet command aimed at better responding to North Korea's military threats at sea, officials said.
On Saturday, the Navy officially launched the Republic of Korea Navy Task Fleet Command, calling it a "core unit of the maritime three-axis system against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats."
The ceremony took place at a key naval base on the southern island of Jeju, attended by some 400 guests, according to the officials.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok called on the new command to become a "powerful unit that defends freedom and peace" while protecting the country from North Korea's threats.
"The Task Fleet Command is a core asset for national defense that detects, tracks and intercepts North Korean ballistic missiles at sea," Choi said in a congratulatory message.
Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho echoed the view, expecting the new command to become a pivotal unit in responding to a full range of security threats.
"The Task Fleet Command is a central unit that strongly deters and responds to North Korea's maritime provocations and preemptively prepares for potential threats that have not yet materialized," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Yong-mo said.
The new command operates 10 destroyers and four auxiliary ships, including the 8,200-ton Jeongjo the Great destroyer equipped with radar-evading functions and the newest Aegis combat system, according to the Navy.
Ships built under South Korea's next-generation destroyer project, referred to as KDDX, will also be assigned to the new command upon completion, it added.
The maritime three-axis system refers to the maritime version of the military's three-pronged deterrence structure comprising the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation system and the Korea Air and Missile Defense.
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