Korean Information Service, A new Aegis destroyer that is to be launched this year will be named King Sejong after the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) monarch who helped create the Korean alphabet in the 15th century, Korea's Navy said Saturday (April 21).
Currently called the KDX-III, the ship is expected to be the most powerful ship in the Navy, and at least two others will be built, the Navy said. The King Sejong is to be commissioned in 2008.
“The name has been chosen because of the importance of the king in Korean history,” said a spokesperson for the Navy. He said the most powerful ship in the fleet should be named after someone who strengthened the country's national defense capability and is respected by the people.
The Navy recently named a KDX-I light destroyer King Gwanggaeto and a larger KDX-II class ship as Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin.
Gwanggaeto, one of the greatest kings in Korean history, is remembered for expanding the territory of the Goguryeo Kingdom. Yi Sun-sin was a legendary admiral who helped repel Japan's invasion of Korea in the late 16th century.
Each of the new ships will be 165.9 meters long with a beam of 21.4 meters and a full displacement of 13,500 tons, or about the size of the U.S. Navy's Ticonderoga cruisers. The King Sejong will be armed with 16 ship-to-ship missiles and 128 ship-to-air missiles and possibly long-range cruise missiles that could give the ship strategic capabilities.
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