ROKS Daeho Kim Jong-seo was launched by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries on September 30, marking the Republic of Korea Navy’s third and final next-generation KDX-III Batch-II Aegis destroyer and completing South Korea’s six-ship Aegis fleet.
ROKS Daeho Kim Jong-seo and South Korea’s Aegis fleet
The shipbuilder said the ceremony took place at its Ulsan yard before roughly 350 government, military, and company representatives. Attendees included President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-chul, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul, Defense Acquisition Program Administration Minister Lee Yong-cheol, National Assembly National Defense Committee Chairman Jin Sung-joon and other committee members, Ulsan lawmakers Kim Tae-seon and Yoon Jong-oh, HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Vice Chairman Lee Sang-kyun, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries President Joo Won-ho.
The third next-generation Aegis destroyer carries the name ROKS Daeho Kim Jong-seo after the pen name and given name of General Kim Jong-seo, known for leading the expansion of Korea’s northern frontier in the early Joseon era. Following sea trials, the ship is scheduled for delivery to the ROK Navy in December next year.
According to the company, ROKS Daeho Kim Jong-seo is 170 meters long with a 21-meter beam, displaces about 8,200 tons light, and is designed for a top speed of 30 knots, approximately 55 kilometers per hour. The destroyer features an integrated sonar suite developed with domestic technology and a ballistic missile capability that enables interception missions, a function not present on the Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyers.
It is viewed as a key element of the sea-based mobile three-axis system. The launch is significant because it completes the ROK Navy’s Aegis destroyer inventory.
Once in service in December next year, the Navy will operate six Aegis destroyers: three Sejong the Great-class ships under KDX-III Batch-I and three Jeongjo the Great-class ships under KDX-III Batch-II.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries previously designed and built Sejong the Great and Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, the first and third ships of the Sejong the Great class, delivered in 2008 and 2012. Beginning with Jeongjo the Great, the lead ship of the Jeongjo the Great class, in 2024, the company also built the second ship, Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, and now the third, Daeho Kim Jong-seo.
In total, the company has produced five of the six Aegis destroyers that the ROK Navy will field, and by constructing all three next-generation Jeongjo the Great-class ships, it underscored its advanced naval shipbuilding capability.
“Our shipbuilding industry, which boasts world-leading technological capabilities, is a source of national pride and the driving force that has made the Republic of Korea a maritime power. We will actively support our shipbuilding industry so that it can maintain its unrivaled technological lead and advance to the next level.”
President Lee Jae-myung
“This year marks 50 years since HD Hyundai Heavy Industries began work on the development of Ulsan, the Republic of Korea’s first domestically built combatant, making this launching ceremony all the more meaningful. With a sense of mission that we build the ships that safeguard the world’s seas, we will continue to firmly safeguard the Republic of Korea’s economy and security.”
HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun