S. Korean destroyer heads for Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy mission

Posted on : 2019-08-14 17:35 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Observers speculate ROKS Kang Gam Chan may ultimately end up in Strait of Hormuz
The South Korean Navy’s Cheonghae Unit sends off the Kang Gam Chan destroyer at the Busan Naval Base on Aug. 13. (Yonhap News)
The South Korean Navy’s Cheonghae Unit sends off the Kang Gam Chan destroyer at the Busan Naval Base on Aug. 13. (Yonhap News)

The ROKS Kang Gam Chan, a 4,400-ton destroyer in the South Korean Navy, departed the Busan Naval Base on the afternoon of Aug. 13, embarking on a mission of escorting ships and fighting piracy in the waters around the Gulf of Aden, near Somalia. The ship is attached to the Navy’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit, now on its 30th assignment.

Considering that US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper called for international cooperation to guarantee the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during a recent visit to South Korea, there is speculation that the strait is where the destroyer may ultimately end up.

It will reportedly take the Kang Gam Chan about a month to reach the Gulf of Aden, which is about four days away from the Strait of Hormuz. In other words, if the destroyer was ordered to halt operations in the gulf and relocate to the strait, it could reach that area within a week at the latest. While the destroyer typically uses a diesel engine, it runs on a gas turbine for swifter mobility when operations are underway.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has been reserved about the possibility of the Kang Gam Chan heading to the Strait of Hormuz during navigation or operations. When asked whether the MND had been contacted by the US about its plan to set up a multinational mission to protect shipping in the strait, MND Spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo simply said no such contact had taken place.

“We’re reviewing a variety of ways to protect our shipping, but nothing has been decided yet,” Choi stressed.

One potential question is whether the National Assembly would have to authorize the deployment of the Kang Gam Chan to the Strait of Hormuz. An act passed by the National Assembly last year to extend the activity of the Cheonghae Unit stipulates that the unit must consist of one 4,000-ton destroyer or larger with a crew of no more than 320 and that its operations are limited to the Gulf of Aden. The act does include the caveat that, if a crisis occurs, the unit can operate in other areas when instructed to protect South Korean citizens.

The unit’s mission is defined as taking part in international efforts to fight terrorism and ensure international maritime safety through escorting ships and assisting safe navigation, protecting South Korean citizens in emergencies, and participating in maritime security operations with the Combined Maritime Forces and the EU. The government’s reported position is that the National Assembly’s approval isn’t necessary as long as the crew doesn’t exceed 320 and the mission doesn’t change.

Iran has made clear that it would prefer South Korea not to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz. “Our hope is that a country like South Korea with which we have long had amicable economic ties will not participate in action with an uncertain outcome in light of the sensitivity of our relationship. If South Korea joins a coalition organized against Iran, we won’t take that as a positive signal,” said Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, in a recent interview.

By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

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