Korean Navy destroyer Dae Jo Young joins counter-piracy operation off Somalia

Republic of Korea Navy destroyer ROKS Sea Jo Young has joined the European Union-led counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia.

ROKS Dae Jo Young is a Sun-sin class destroyer and was launched in November 2003. Equipped with the latest military and surveillance technology, she is perfectly suited to counter-piracy operations.

The deployment of ROKS Dae Jo Young to operation Atalanta is the third time South Korean Navy is working with EU warships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

During the last week ROKS Dae Jo Young and EU NAVFOR warships cooperated at sea to integrate communications systems and carry out combined operations at sea.

The contribution of a Korean warship to operation Atalanta has been made possible by the EU-Republic of Korea Framework Agreement, which has been in force since December 2016 and foresees the possible participation of Korea in EU crisis management operations.

EUNAVFOR’s operation Atalanta deters pirate and terrorist activity in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and protects World Food Programme (WFP) vessels as they transit close to the Somali coast to deliver aid to Somali ports.