Republic of Korea Navy decommissions two frigates, one corvette

The Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy) has decommissioned two multipurpose guided missile frigates and one general purpose corvette.

The ships in question are the Ulsan-class frigates Masan (FF-955) and Kyeongbuk (FF-956) as well as the Pohang-class corvette Suncheon (PCC-767).

All three vessels were retired in a decommissioning ceremony held on December 24, 2019, the navy said in a statement.

Masan, built at Hanjin Heavy Industries yard, was commissioned into service in 1985, and Kyeongbuk, constructed at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, in 1986. The third vessel, the corvette Suncheon, also built at Hanjin Heavy Industries, was commissioned in 1989.

As informed, the trio will be used in support of the ROK Navy’s fleet training exercises.

The move comes as the Korean Navy is preparing to welcome two new Daegu-class frigates, ROKS Gyeongnam (FFG-819) and ROKS Seoul (FFG-821) after it received the first Daegu-class unit, ROKS Daegu (FF-818), in 2018.

Naval Today Staff