ROK launches 4th 1,800-ton submarine

SEOUL -- The Navy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) held a ceremony Tuesday to launch its fourth 1,800-ton, 214-type submarine to boost its underwater warfare capabilities.

The fourth submersible of 214-type, which represents the size of the warship, was launched in the afternoon at a shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Geoje Island, southeast of Seoul, the Navy said in a statement.

The submarine was named after Kim Jwa-jin, the nation's famous general of independent forces during the period of the Japanese colonial rule of ROK. Kim led the Cheongsan-ri battle to beat 3,300 Japanese soldiers, the largest victory of the South Korean independent movement.

President Park Geun-hye, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and other senior military officials attended the ceremony.

"Submarine Kim Jwa-jin will contribute much to upholding our maritime sovereignty," Park said. "Under the reality of sharp conflicts between national interests, it should be necessary to protect our waters and our national interests in the waters."

The submersible can strike 300 targets simultaneously, and operate various missions such as anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare as well as ship-to-land precision strikes with cruise missiles.

The diesel-powered submarine can make a round voyage from Seoul to Hawaii without any refueling. It can also perform underwater missions for two weeks without any need to come up from the waters.

The submersible will be delivered to the Navy in the second half of 2014 after the assessment period, and will be deployed in 2015 for naval operations.