South Korea's new naval base on the southern resort island of Jeju would enable the Navy to strongly respond to possible high-seas standoffs with North Korea, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Friday.
The naval base, built for both military and commercial purposes, was officially launched, wrapping up the landmark naval project that cost more than 1 trillion won (806 million dollars).
"Our Navy situated here will be able to respond more strongly against North Korea's marine threats," Hwang said during a launching ceremony, citing the North's persistent provocations.
The new naval base, billed by the Navy as Jeju's civilian-military sea port, took the country 23 years to complete after years of concerns over possible increased regional tension.
Hwang said the Jeju naval base "will protect our sea by being located in the middle of the waters of the Korean Peninsula."
The port is capable of docking 20 combat vessels and two of the largest class of cruise ships simultaneously.
Set up along the southern coast of Jeju, the foot of South Korea, the base will host some 3,000 warships, submarines and other naval forces to defend the Northeast Asian country's gateway to the Pacific Ocean.
"(The government) will develop the Jeju naval base to be world-class just like the ones in Hawaii, U.S. and Sydney, Australia," Hwang said. (Yonhap)