Meet South Korea's guided missile warship for Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy is acquiring decommissioned Pohang-class guided missile corvette, which South Korea called a "small token" compared with Filipinos' sacrifice in the Korean War.

Defense information provider Jane's 360 said that Pohang-class vessels were built in South Korea and commissioned into its military between 1986 and 1993.

"The 1,240-tonne ships can carry a crew of 95 over an effective patrolling range of 4,000 nautical miles. The vessels have a maximum speed of 32 knots," the report said.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwang-jin informed Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin about the donation during the latter’s visit to Seoul on May 30.

“The Republic of Korea Navy will decommission a Pohang-class corvette by yearend for donation to the Philippine Navy, yet another sign of the two countries’ growing defense cooperation,” the Foreign Affairs department said in a statement on June 5.

The vessel has the ability to launch surface-to-surface missiles and are equipped with six 324 mm Mk 32 anti-submarine torpedo tubes and one or two 76 mm Oto Melara anti-surface and anti-aircraft guns.

Seoul currently has 21 Pohang-class ships, but it is unclear which of these would be decommissioned for Manila.

The Philippine Navy had said that the corvette acquisition will significantly increase its abilities to monitor disputed maritime areas, most notably the Philippine-claimed South China Sea zone.

China recently started reclamation work purportedly to build islands that may hold a military structure on maritime features within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

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The upcoming warship donation follows 16 landing craft utilities also from South Korea. It gave a similar corvette to Colombia in 2011.