The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has handed over the frigate Gyeongbuk to the South Korean Navy at SK Ocean Plant in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province.
The delivery took place on the 19 June 2026 in the presence of officials including DAPA shipbuilding business division head Choi Sang-deok, Navy’s 8th Combat Training Group commander Hwang Jong-seo, and SK Ocean Plant chief executive Kang Young-gyu.
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The Gyeongbuk is the second ship of the Ulsan-class Batch-III programme, which is intended to replace frigates currently in service with the Republic of Korea Navy. The first ship in the class, Chungnam, was delivered on 18 December 2024.
Construction contract for the 129-meter-long frigate was signed in December 2021. It was launched in June 2025 and delivered after the completion of about a year of sea trial evaluations.
The vessel is intended for tasks including monitoring and defending its assigned area, protecting maritime interests and securing maritime control.
According to DAPA, Gyeongbuk is equipped with a 5-inch naval main gun, tactical surface-to-shore guided missiles, surface-to-surface guided missiles, anti-ship missile defence missiles, and long-range anti-submarine torpedoes.
The ship’s combat system and detection systems, includes multi-functional active phased array radar, were developed using domestic technology.
Gyeongbuk was handed over earlier than the originally scheduled end-of-June date. It is expected to undergo about six months of operational readiness training before entering service and being assigned to the naval fleet for operations.
Choi Sang-deok said: “The timely delivery of the Gyeongbuk-class vessel holds significance in further solidifying our maritime security amidst rapidly changing international circumstances.
“It is a valuable achievement in which a domestic mid-sized shipyard successfully completed the difficult challenge of building its first warship, and a case that once again proves the excellent technological capabilities of K-shipbuilding.”
