Navy boats named after 2 sailors killed in action

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Navy boats named after 2 sailors killed in action

Published: 24 Sep. 2009, 05:01

Two high-speed guided-missile patrol boats are launched yesterday in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang. The patrol boats were named after Han Sang-guk and Jo Cheon-hyeong, who were killed in a 2002 naval skirmish with North Korea. [YONHAP]

South Korea’s Navy said it launched two high-speed guided-missile patrol boats yesterday to guard the tense western sea border with North Korea, naming them after sailors killed in a 2002 naval clash with the communist state.

The Han Sang-guk and the Jo Cheon-hyeong were launched in a ceremony in the port city of Jinhae, 410 kilometers (254.76 miles) south of Seoul, the Navy said in a statement.

The ships, equipped with anti-ship guided-missiles with a range of up to 140 kilometers, are upgrades from the first “Patrol Killer Guided” boat, the Yun Yeong Ha.

The latest patrol boats will be deployed along the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border, as early as September next year after undergoing a series of performance tests and readjustments, the Navy said.

Yonhap