Korean sub to make trans-Pacific journey for joint drills with Canada amid major bid

The 3,000-ton class ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine, Jan. 5, 2024 / Courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy

A 3,000-ton Korean naval submarine will travel across the Pacific for the first time to take part in joint drills with Canada in June, aimed at bolstering maritime security and arms industry cooperation, the Navy said Wednesday.

The planned 14,000-kilometer journey by the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho comes as a Korean consortium is vying with Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to win a landmark contract to supply 12 naval submarines to the Canadian navy.

The submarine is set to travel from Jinhae to Victoria in western Canada to participate in the combined drills scheduled for June, according to the Navy. It will make stops in Guam and Hawaii for replenishment, with two Canadian submariners set to join Korean crew members for the final leg of the trip from Hawaii to Victoria.

When completed in late May, it will mark the longest distance a Korean submarine has traveled.

Visitors wave their hands as the 3,000-ton ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine departs a naval port in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday, for combined drills with Canada. Yonhap

Following the joint drills, the submarine will also participate in the U.S.-led multinational Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii in late June before returning home.

To mark the departure, the Navy held a ceremony earlier in the day at the Submarine Force Command at a major naval base in Jinhae, some 310 km southeast of Seoul, attended by key officials, including the vice naval chief and the chief of the state arms procurement agency.

Also attending the event were foreign dignitaries, including Canadian Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lafortune and British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks, the Navy said.

The 3,000-ton ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine leaves a naval port in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday, for combined drills with Canada. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy

Calling the itinerary a "great voyage," Naval Chief of Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul said he hopes the overseas training will serve as an opportunity to showcase the capabilities of Korean submarines.

Lee Yong-cheol, chief of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said the trip by the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho will become a "driving force" for the Navy and the arms industry.

"It will be a milestone in expanding cooperation with friendly nations, such as Canada and Britain, while reaffirming the status of our Navy and the potential of the Korean arms industry," Lee said.

Korea has been ramping up efforts to win the major submarine bid, valued at around 60 trillion won ($40 billion).

Last month, relevant government ministries, including the defense, foreign and industrial ministries, as well as the Navy, and defense firms Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, signed an official document confirming government support for the bid.

In December, Canadian submariners joined Korean submariners aboard the ROKS Ahn Mu, another 3,000-ton submarine, during the Silent Shark drills, a combined anti-submarine warfare exercise jointly held by Korea and the United States near Guam.