PYEONGTAEK: South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has issued a stern directive to the Navy, calling for a decisive response in the event of any North Korean provocations. During his visit to the newly deployed 2,800-ton ROKS Cheonan frigate at the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, located 60 kilometers south of Seoul, Shin instructed Navy officials and sailors to "mercilessly bury (the enemy) at sea if the enemy stages yet another provocation." The directive comes as a response to the 2010 sinking of the Cheonan corvette by North Korea near the western Northern Limit Line, which resulted in the loss of 46 South Korean sailors.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The new Cheonan frigate, the seventh warship produced as part of South Korea's plans to procure eight new frigates, is designed to replace the aging fleet of 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton corvettes. The 122-meter-long ship is equipped with a helicopter deck and is armed with anti-ship and ship-to-ground missiles, anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as advanced sonar systems to detect enemy submarines. This development underscores South Korea's ongoing commitment to strengthening its naval capabilities in the face of persistent North Korean threats.