(LEAD) Navy holds commissioning ceremony for new frigate named after warship torpedoed by N. Korea in 2010

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SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- The Navy held a ceremony Friday to formally place into service a new frigate named after a warship torpedoed by North Korea in 2010, officials said.

The commissioning ceremony for the 2,800-ton Cheonan, took place at a key naval base in Changwon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the armed service and the state arms procurement agency.

The 1,200-ton corvette Cheonan sank near the Northern Limit Line, a de facto western inter-Korean sea border, in March 2010, after a North Korean midget submarine fired a torpedo at it, killing 46 sailors aboard.

The ceremony was attended by former crew members of the corvette, including Choi Won-il, the warship's captain at the time of its sinking, as well as family members of the fallen sailors.

The new Cheonan is the seventh warship produced as part of South Korea's plans to procure eight new frigates designed to replace the aging fleet of 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton corvettes.

The warship is equipped with anti-ship and ship-to-ground missiles, anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as hull mounted and towed array sonar systems.

After undergoing further operational assessment, the frigate is expected to be deployed for operations in the Yellow Sea late this year.

"Containing the patriotism of the Cheonan's 46 fallen soldiers, the revived Cheonan will perfectly conduct operations to protect our seas as a core asset of the Republic of Korea's Navy," Vice Adm. Kim Myung-soo, commander of the ROK Navy Fleet, was quoted as saying. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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