The South Korean Navy has deployed its second Aegis destroyer Yulgok Yi I into service after the successful completion of nine months of test trials.

The 166m long, 7,600t KDX-III destroyer can cruise at a speed of 30kt and can accommodate a crew of 300 members as well as two mid-sized helicopters.

The destroyer is equipped with 120 ship-to-ship and ship-to-air guided missiles and long-distance torpedoes.

The Aegis-class destroyer, built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, has been assigned to the Navy’s 7th fleet and will carry out missions in the Korean Peninsula waters.

The first Aegis destroyer, Sejong the Great, was launched in 2008 as part of the nation’s naval build-up project.