According to the Navy, it will be the first time the country assumes command in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world's largest multinational naval exercise, since joining in 1990.
Launched in 1971, the biennial exercise, hosted by the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet, is designed to enhance cooperation among participating countries, strengthen joint responses to maritime threats, and improve integrated operational capabilities among allied forces.
This year's exercise, slated to kick off on June 24 and run until July 31 off Hawaiian waters, will involve more than 25,000 military personnel along with 40 surface ships, five submarines, and 140 aircraft from over 30 countries.
South Korea is expected to send the Aegis destroyer Jeongjo the Great, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, and the 3,000-ton-class submarine Dosan Ahn Chang-ho.
"We will complete the mission successfully, showing the world the country’s excellent operational command capabilities," a navy official vowed.
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