China’s West Sea encroachments demand stronger Korean Navy

BUSAN — Eighty stun grenades, dropped from a P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, lit up the cloudy skies over Busan on Thursday. The dramatic aerial bursts wowed hundreds of spectators watching the air show from aboard the 4,900-ton amphibious ship Ilchulbong. The number of grenades, also known as flash-bangs, symbolized the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Korea Navy, celebrated with a grand fleet review in the southeastern port city. Out at sea, another display of power unfolded as 31 naval vessels paraded in formation, led by the 8,100-ton Aegis destroyer Jeongjo the Great. From the deck of Ilchulbong, Navy Chief of Staff Kang Dong-gil saluted each passing warship as its crew returned the gesture. “A naval event of this scale would have been unimaginable 80 years ago,” said Captain Oh Se-sung, a senior public affairs officer of the Republic of Korea Navy headquarters in Busan. “At that time, Korea had virtually no naval infrastructure. The Republic of Korea Navy was built from nothing.” Established in 1945 after Korea’s liberation frWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times