Korean Navy Ships Arrive In Portsmouth During Worldwide Deployment

Two Republic of Korea Navy vessels have arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base as part of a 135-day round-the-world deployment.

Destroyer Chung mu Gong Yi Sun Shin, named for a 16th-century admiral, weighs in at 4,400 tonnes and forms part of the Cruise Training Task Group.

She is joined by the Dae Cheong, an armed supply ship that weighs in slightly less at 4,200 tonnes.

Three Royal Navy vessels have been deployed in the Asia-Pacific region this year, including HMS Argyll which left for a nine-month deployment in June with one of its stops including South Korea, also known as the Republic of Korea.

"To have the Republic of Korea with two vessels in Portsmouth - unusual, fabulous," Captain David George of Portsmouth Naval Base told Forces News.

"We've just had two of our own Royal Navy vessels in the Republic of Korea over this year, we've got another one visiting - Argyll's going in later this year.

"It's a relationship that we're nurturing."

In total 149 midshipmen are visiting Portsmouth, all from the 72rd graduating class and sailing together in their fourth year of study together.

Lt Junior Grade, Dong Wook Kim, a public affairs officer for the deployment, said: "In Korea, there’s a mother port, it’s at Chinhae.

"We knew that Portsmouth is a kind of mother port for the United Kingdom, so we are really glad to visit."

The UK and South Korea also use a lot of the same equipment, such as the Wildcat helicopter.

However, there is one difference apparent during this visit - on board one of their vessels is a Defence Industry Exhibition Hall with sections dedicated to everything from Korea’s naval prowess, its engineering skill, its food and even its pop music, known as 'K-pop'.