Korean submarine begins first trans-Pacific voyage

The ROK Navy’s 3,000-ton-class submarine Dosan An Chang-ho, the first vessel of its kind designed and built with domestic technology, departed from the Jinhae Naval Base in Changwon on Tuesday to participate in a South Korea-Canada joint exercise.

The submarine is scheduled to travel about 14,000 kilometers before arriving in late May at Esquimalt Harbour in Victoria, Canada, where it will take part in joint drills with the Royal Canadian Navy in early June. The voyage will mark the first trans-Pacific crossing by a South Korean submarine and the longest deployment distance on record. During the journey, the vessel will make port calls at U.S. naval bases in Guam and Hawaii to resupply. It will also take on two Royal Canadian Navy noncommissioned officers, who will join the crew for the final leg to Victoria, the Navy said.

At a send-off ceremony at the Jinhae naval base, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Kwak Sung-sup and Canadian Ambassador to South Korea Philip Lafortune presented Capt. Lee Byung-il, the submarine’s commanding officer, with two capsules containing seawater from the port. Upon arrival in Canada, seawater from Canada will be added in a symbolic ceremony, after which each country will retain one capsule to underscore their naval cooperation.

Canada plans to select a preferred bidder in the first half of the year for its next-generation submarine program, valued at about 60 trillion won. South Korea and Germany are the final contenders. A Defense Acquisition Program Administration official said the trans-Pacific voyage will provide an opportunity to showcase the performance and technological capabilities of South Korea’s submarine program.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com