Navy flaunts maritime strength in fleet review marking 80th anniv.
A fleet review organized by the Navy takes place in waters off the southeastern port city of Busan, Thursday. Courtesy of the Navy
A P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, escorted by two F-15K fighter jets, dashed across skies over waters off the southeastern port city of Busan on a mild autumn afternoon and dropped 80 flares into the sea.
The commemorative move signaled the beginning of the first fleet review in seven years to mark the 80th anniversary of the Navy, the first branch of the military to be established in South Korea.
Alongside the P-8A, dubbed the "submarine killer," the ceremony showcased some of the Navy's most recently deployed and advanced assets -- ranging from an 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer to a homegrown 3,000-ton submarine.
The Jeongjo the Great destroyer, a core asset of the country's maritime three-axis deterrence system, took on the role of the command ship for the fleet review that also involved 30 other warships and 18 aircraft.
Also among the assets that took part in the event were unmanned weapons systems, such as a V-BAT vertical take-off and landing drone and an unmanned surface vehicle.
Following an hourlong showcase, participating assets demonstrated an anti-submarine operation simulating enemy threats, involving the P-8A, the MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission chopper as well as the Lynx helicopter.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, who presided over the event along with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kang Dong-gil, underscored the importance of maritime capabilities given South Korea's export-reliant economy.
"Maritime security is directly linked to a country's survival," Ahn said. "Considering that 99.7 percent of our country's trade is conducted through the sea, the maritime transportation channel is equivalent to a state lifeline."
"Our Navy has emerged as a globally strong force that is armed with various maneuvering assets encompassing surface ships, submarines and aircraft," he said.
The defense chief specifically noted the growing importance of incorporating manned and unmanned assets for maritime operations.
"There is a need to supplement policies for manned and unmanned teaming of assets, as there are difficulties in implementing them at sea compared with on the ground," he said.
Friday's fleet review marked the sixth such event since the Navy was established in November 1945.
"The ceremony was organized to mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Navy with the public and raise awareness on the importance of maritime security and the country's vision for maritime strength," a Navy official said.
The Navy had initially planned to hold the event in May to mark the double anniversaries of the Navy's establishment as well as the 80th anniversary of South Korea's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.
But the event was postponed due to political turmoil triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched attempt to impose martial law in December, and was scaled down to a domestic ceremony without foreign warships.
The last international fleet review took place in waters off the southern resort island of Jeju in 2018.