The Republic of Korea Navy was founded on November 11, 1945 as Marine Defense Group after Korea was liberated from the Empire of Japan. The ROK Navy is the oldest service within the ROK Armed Forces. In 2015, the South Korean navy celebrated its 70th anniversary.
Since the Korean War, the ROK Navy had concentrated its efforts on building naval forces against the North Korean navy, which has littoral naval capabilities. As South Korea's economy grew, the ROK Navy was able to locally build larger and better equipped fleets to deter aggression, to protect the sea lines of communication, and to support the nation's foreign policy. As part of its mission, the ROK Navy has engaged in several peacekeeping operations since the turn of the 21st century.
The ROK Navy aims to become a blue-water navy in the 2020s."대양해군건설". Republic of Korea Navy official website. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
Origins
Korea has a long history of naval activities. In the late 4th century during the Three Kingdoms Period, Goguryeo defeated Baekjae by operating amphibious forces of 40,000 men. In 732, the Balhae navy "attacked the Shandong peninsula and destroyed the biggest seaport of the Tang Empire in the east – Dengzhou". In the 9th century, Commissioner Chang Pogo of the Unified Silla established a maritime base called Cheonghaejin in an island to foster trading with China and Japan, and to eradicate pirates.
In 1380, the naval forces of the Goryeo Dynasty defeated 500 vessels of invading Japanese pirates by deploying shipboard guns, devised by Ch'oe Mu-sŏn, which is claimed to be the first use of shipboard guns in the naval history. In 1389 and 1419, the Korean naval force invaded Tsushima Island to suppress the Japanese pirate. In the early years of the Joseon Dynasty, the naval forces once reached its peak of 50,000 personnel due to the pirate issue."역사속의 해군" . Republic of Korea Navy official website. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
During the Japanese invasions of Korea (the Imjin War) in the 16th century, the Korean naval force commanded by Admiral Yi Sunshin, who later became the head of the Navy (Commander-in-Chief, Three-Provincial Fleet), cut off the invaders' naval life line and defeated the Japanese fleet reversing the war in favor of Joseon."Korea's Legendary Admiral (PDF Format)" . barrystrauss.com. Retrieved May 1, 2007. Comparing Yi Sunshin to Lord Nelson, Admiral George Alexander Ballard of the Royal Navy commented: "It is always difficult for Englishmen to admit that Nelson ever had an equal in his profession, but if any man is entitled to be so regarded, it should be this great naval commander of Asiatic race who never knew defeat and died in the presence of the enemy[.]"Ballard, G.A., 1972, The Influence of the Sea on the Political History of Japan., Greenwood Press Reprint, pp. 66–67. Admiral Yi is also accredited with improving the Turtle Ship.
By the end of the 19th century, the Joseon navy had no significant naval force other than coast defense fortresses. In 1893, the Joseon court requested the British Consul-General to dispatch a naval officer for organizing a naval school in an attempt to modernize the navy. In September 1893, the navy school was established in Ganghwa Island. Lieutenant William H. Callwell, a retired British naval officer, and John W. Curtis of the Royal Marines, a gunnery instructor, served as instructors for 160 cadets and sailor recruits. However, the Royal Naval Academy was closed in November 1894, and the Joseon navy (i.e. Commander-in-Chief Three-Provincial Fleet) was brought to an end in 1895 due to the First Sino-Japanese War and the Gabo Reform. In 1900, the government of the Korean Empire purchased its first modern naval ship, KIS Yangmu (Hanja: 揚武), from Japan. She was originally a cargo ship called the Kachidatemaru. In 1900, the revenue cruiser, Gwangje (光濟) was delivered for the Korean maritime customs. She was built by Kawasaki Dockyard Company. The Korean naval tradition was disrupted after Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910.
Founding years
Shortly after Korea was liberated from the Empire of Japan on August 15, 1945, Sohn Won-yil, a former merchant mariner and son of the Methodist minister and independence activist Sohn Jung-do,"손원일 중장" . War Memorial Museum Official Website. Retrieved May 2, 2007. led the Maritime Affairs Association. The Maritime Affairs Association evolved into the Marine Defense Group on November 11, 1945 (Navy Foundation Day), and some 70 people proceeded to the former Imperial Japanese Navy's Chinkai Guard District at Jinhae to establish a naval unit. In June 1946, the Marine Defense Group became the Korean Coast Guard, and officially recognized by the United States Army Military Government in Korea. The Korean Coast Guard acquired 36 patrol craft (mainly ex-IJN and USN minecraft) through the Military Government. Meanwhile, the Military Government provided limited assistance through U.S. Navy (USN) and U.S. Coast Guard personnel then in South Korea."THE FORGOTTEN SERVICE IN THE FORGOTTEN WAR". U.S. Coast Guard official website. Retrieved March 23, 2007. After the South Korean government was established on August 15, 1948, the Korean Coast Guard formally became the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), and Sohn was appointed as the first Chief of Naval Operations of the ROK Navy on September 5, 1948."Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea: The Early Years (1945 to 1957)". Commander U.S. Naval Forces Korea, U.S. Navy official website. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
In October 1949, the ROK Navy purchased a 600-ton submarine chaser, the former on the American civil market with funds raised among its personnel. She was renamed as ROKS Baekdusan (PC 701) after Paektu Mountain, and became "the first significant warship of the newly independent nation""Pak Tu San (Submarine Chaser # PC-701, 1950-1960)" Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center official website. Retrieved March 4, 2007."한국해군50년사" . Republic of Korea Navy Official website. Retrieved March 4, 2007. (later on the first night of the Korean War, she sank a 1,000-ton North Korean freighter loaded with 600 troops toward the vital South Korean port of Busan). The Navy purchased three additional PC-461-class submarine chasers before the Korean War.
On April 15, 1949, the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) was founded at Deoksan airfield in Jinhae. The Marine Corps carried out Suppression Operations against communist elements in Jinju and Jeju Island."Half Century History of the ROK Navy" . Republic of Korea Navy official website. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
Korean War and 1950s
The Korean War started with the North Korean army's surprise attack on Sunday, June 25, 1950. The infant ROK Navy confronted threats from the stronger North Korean navy: "Perhaps the most aggressive and effective, if smallest, member of the South Korean armed services during the first year of the Korean War was the Republic of Korea Navy. At the outset of the conflict, the 6,956-man ROKN, with "6·25전쟁 발발 당일, 우리 해군의 함정 척수 및 병력" . 해군 vol. 2003 9-10. Republic of Korea Navy. Retrieved October 21, 2007. naval vessels of various types, was outnumbered by the 13,700 men and 110 naval vessels of the North Korean navy." With its UN allies, dominated by U.S. forces, the ROK Navy was able to gain control in the seas surrounding the country; the ROK Navy secured the seas south of the 38th parallel. After the Incheon landing, the ROK Navy proceeded to take control of the entire seas surrounding the Korean peninsula, as a task group (Task Group 95.7) of the UN Blockading and Escort Force (Task Force 95). When UN troops withdrew from the north, due to the entry of Chinese troops, the ROK Navy conducted evacuation operations for the UN troops and Korean refugees with the UN allies. On July 27, 1953, the three-year-long war was brought to an end when an armistice agreement was signed. During the war, Australia, Canada, Colombia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States contributed naval vessels as UN allies; Denmark sent the hospital ship Jutlandia."Allied Forces in the Korean War" . Department of Defense – Korean War Commemoration website. Retrieved September 25, 2007. During the Korean War, the ROK Navy acquired 28 ex-USN ships including five Tacoma-class frigates.
The Mutual Defense Treaty between South Korea and the United States was signed on 1 October 1953. In 1955, the South Korean government and the United States government made an agreement concerning the loan of U.S. Navy vessels. From 1955 to 1960, the ROK Navy acquired 42 ex-USN warships including two Cannon-class destroyer escorts.
In September 1953, the ROK Navy established the Republic of Korea Fleet, which was responsible for the operation and training of the ships. Fleet Aviation Unit was established in 1957.
On July 30, 1960, ROKS Gangwon (DE 72), formerly , sank the North Korean navy patrol ship PBS 371 off the coast of Geojin."잊혀진 해전". 해군 vol. 2008 1-2. Republic of Korea Navy. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
1960s
Continuing from the 1950s, the ROK Navy continued to build naval surface forces mainly with World War II-era warships transferred from the U.S. Navy. In May 1963, the ROK Navy acquired its first destroyer ROKS Chungmu (DD 91 and later DD 911), the former , a .
On October 3, 1964, ROKS Chungnam (DE 73, later DE 821), formerly , "successfully prosecuted an unidentified submarine contact for more than 17 hours until the contact surfaced and was positively identified as a Soviet with pendant number 017".姜泳勳. (1996). 73艦의 蘇聯 潛水艦 追跡事件. 海洋戰略 vol. 93. South Korea: 海軍大學 pp.1-41.
During the Vietnam War, the ROK Navy dispatched the Naval Transport Group called Baekgu ("Seagull"), which was composed of three Landing Ship Tanks (LST) and two Landing Ship Mediums (LSM). The Republic of Korea Marine Corps sent the 2nd Marine Brigade called Cheongnyong ("Blue Dragon") to South Vietnam. In April 1975, just before the Fall of Saigon, ROKS Gyebong (LST 810), formerly USS Berkshire County (LST-288), and ROKS Bukhan (LST 815), formerly USS Linn County (LST-900), evacuated about 1,300 South Vietnamese and South Koreans from South Vietnam to South Korea.
In 1969, the ROK Navy began "Isolated Islands Visiting Program" to support people living in small and remote islands around the peninsula.
On January 14, 1967, ROKS Chungnam (DE 73) collided with the wooden-hulled 140-ton coastal ferry Hanil, off Gadeok Island, resulting in death of the ferry's 94 passengers and crew. On January 19, 1967, ROKS Dangpo (PCE 56), the former USS Marfa (PCE-842), was sunk by North Korean coastal artillery north of the demarcation line off the east coast of Korea. was captured by North Korea in January 1968. On June 5, 1970, a navy broadcast vessel (I 2) was captured and abducted by North Korean patrol craft in the vicinity of Yeonpyeong Islands in the West Sea (Yellow Sea)."남북간의 해상전과 남한 방송선 피랍사건" . www.ceoi.org by O Wonchol. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
1970s and 1980s
In the 70s, the ROK Navy, through the Park Chung-hee Administration's "Yulgok Plan" (an 8-year national defense plan "to build up self-reliant, national defense capability""ROK Army History". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved March 10, 2007.), began to establish a fleet of locally built warships. The Navy acquired shipbuilding capabilities by planning and building high-speed patrol craft such as Baekgu class and Chamsuri class in the 1970s – in November 1972, the ROK Navy launched its first domestically built fast patrol craft to intercept North Korean spy boats.