The military of Seoul announced, on 5 March, that South Korea’s 4,400-ton destroyer, “Choe Yeong”, joined a European Union-led military operation to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden, near Somalia. The operation mainly concerned escorting commercial ships in dangerous areas and, also, anti-piracy reconnaissance.
According to Yonhap News, the South Korean destroyer, which is a Spanish Galicia-class landing vessel, participated in “Atalanta” operation from February 27 to March 4, under the leadership of EU’s maritime forces command for Somalia and multi-national naval partnership, “Combined Maritime Forcesas”.
Along with the Korean destroyer, maritime patrol aircraft, rigid inflatable boats and UDT/SEAL forces participated in the exercise. It was the first time the destroyer and the South Korean anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit has taken part in the joint exercise in the sea off the northeastern city of Bosaso in Somalia, according to the ministry.
According to the military, the Korean unit’s contribution in the international counter-piracy activity is part of the Korea-EU risk management activity pact, started from December 2016.
The unit’s commander Capt. Kim Kyung-ryul commented: “Cheonghae Unit’s participation in the EU’s anti-piracy operation was an opportunity to strengthen the Navy’s capabilities to perform combined operations with EU naval forces as well as enlarge our contributions to the international community’s efforts to stop pirates in the waters near Somalia”.
