Speaker attends launch ceremony for Navy submarine Seohuiham on Tuesday
National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik attended the launch ceremony for the Navy's newest submarine, Seohuiham, at Hanwha Ocean's Okpo Shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday, offering words of encouragement to those involved and calling for a stronger maritime security posture and South Korea's rise as a leading maritime power.
In his congratulatory address, Cho said Seohuiham is "a 3,600-ton state-of-the-art submarine born from the convergence of South Korea's will for self-reliant defense, advanced defense technology, and world-class shipbuilding capability." He added that South Korea, which could not even build a proper patrol boat shortly after the government was established, "now stands tall as a maritime power that designs and builds world-class strategic submarines with our own technology."
Reflecting on the historical significance of the submarine's name, Cho said the Goryeo-era diplomat Seo Hui "repelled the Khitan forces and secured the six districts of Gangdong through his penetrating insight into international affairs and his bold spirit, proving that the true strength of national defense lies in the power to win without fighting." Cho said he felt "a surge of pride and reassurance" seeing Seohuiham — a vessel that embodies that wisdom and courage — take to the sea.
Cho also stressed the importance of securing sea lanes in the current international security and economic environment. "We live in an age when conflicts and crises in distant seas directly affect the supply chains of our companies and the prices on our citizens' dinner tables," he said. "Since 99.7 percent of our import and export cargo moves by sea, safeguarding maritime routes is the same as protecting the daily lives of our people and the South Korean economy."
He described Seohuiham as "a core national strategic asset that protects our maritime sovereignty, a powerful deterrent that strikes fear into adversaries, and a declaration of resolve to defend our territorial waters by our own strength." He also called it "a proud symbol showing that K-defense industry technology has reached the highest level in the world."
Cho also addressed Navy personnel ahead of the service's 81st founding anniversary on Nov. 11, saying the Navy "must take another step forward as a high-tech force equipped with manned and unmanned carriers and autonomous systems, and Seohuiham will be the core capability leading that future." He urged sailors to "fulfill your mission and pride as an elite Navy that protects the seas of the homeland and its people."
He added that the Assembly "will spare no support so that vessels built with our own technology can guard our territorial waters like an iron fortress and project power into the open ocean," and pledged to "carefully look after the working conditions and safety of service members who silently dedicate themselves in rough seas and the deep ocean, and ensure they receive the recognition their service deserves."
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