Family members of troops of the Cheonghae unit’s 41st rotation wave goodbye as the 3,200-ton ROKS Yang Man-chun destroyer, carrying the contingent, departs from a key naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Sept. 25, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – A contingent of South Korean sailors departed for waters off Somalia earlier this week as part of a regular rotation of troops conducting anti-piracy operations in the region, the Navy said Friday.
The ROKS Yang Man-chun destroyer, carrying the 41st rotation of the Cheonghae unit, left the naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Monday to replace troops aboard the ROKS Gwanggaeto the Great destroyer operating in the Gulf of Aden and nearby waters
The contingent of around 300 troops, including special warfare forces, Marines and a Lynx maritime helicopter, will arrive in the waters about a month later to conduct maritime security operations, such as escorting civilian ships, through April next year.
It also plans to participate in security operations conducted by the Combined Maritime Forces, a U.S.-led multinational naval partnership, to respond to maritime terrorist activities, according to the Navy.
South Korea first deployed the anti-piracy Cheonghae unit in 2009.
(Yonhap)
