On April 4, 2006, the Korean deep-sea fishing vessel Dongwon-ho was hijacked by pirates while operating off the eastern coast of Somalia and was released 117 days later. On September 10, 2008, the Bright Ruby was also hijacked while navigating the Gulf of Aden off Somalia and was freed after 36 days of negotiations. As pirate attacks on Korean vessels in the Gulf of Aden increased, they emerged as a national concern.
About 500 Korean vessels pass through the Gulf of Aden annually, accounting for 26% of Korea's total shipping volume. Amid growing calls for protecting Korean-flagged vessels and seafarers in the Gulf of Aden and securing international sea lanes to advance national interests, the dispatch of the Cheonghae Unit began to be pursued.
On January 20, 2009, the Cabinet decided to push forward the deployment based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1838, 1846, and 1851. On March 2 of the same year, the plan to deploy the Navy to waters off Somalia was passed at a plenary session of the National Assembly, and the Cheonghae Unit was established the following day. On the 13th of the same month, the first Cheonghae Unit aboard the Munmu the Great departed from Jinhae Base, marking the first overseas deployment of a combat ship since the military's founding.
The name "Cheonghae," given to Korea's first-ever combat ship deployment unit, was taken from Cheonghaejin, the maritime trade base established in Wando, South Jeolla Province, by Envoy Jang Bogo, who eradicated piracy and revived Unified Silla through maritime trade. The name reflects the Navy's commitment to safeguarding the seas. Its official designation, given in consideration of its deployment mission and scale, is the "Somalia Waters Escort Task Group."
The Cheonghae Unit consists of about 300 personnel. It is centered around the task group commander and some 10 staff members, including intelligence, operations, communications, chaplain, and interpreter officers, along with roughly 230 crew members aboard one destroyer, about 30 members of the Underwater Demolition Team/SEAL boarding inspection team, about 10 aviation personnel, around 10 support personnel covering medical, military police, meteorology, maintenance, and counterintelligence duties, and about 10 Marine security personnel, plus up to three high-speed boats and one to two maritime operations helicopters.
The Cheonghae Unit's mission is to participate in maritime security operations such as piracy interdiction and counterterrorism in cooperation with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) headquartered in Bahrain. When joining operations, it focuses on missions consistent with the scope defined by its rules of engagement. Other tasks such as interdicting arms trafficking, drug trafficking, terrorism, and illegal immigration are carried out selectively and on a limited basis in accordance with government guidelines when necessary.
Support for the safe navigation of Korean vessels focuses on preventing pirate attacks on Korean ships passing through the Gulf of Aden off Somalia. Vulnerable vessels receive close-escort support, while other transiting ships and Korean-flagged deep-sea fishing vessels are supported through safety checks and navigation assistance via phone and merchant vessel common networks.
The unit has completed missions including the Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden in 2011, which marks its 15th anniversary this year, the evacuation of Korean nationals from Libya in 2011 and 2014, the rescue operation for kidnapped crew members of the Gemini in 2012, and the evacuation of Korean nationals from Yemen in 2015. Since its establishment, the unit has supported safe navigation and escort missions for more than 40,000 vessels.
The Republic of Korea Navy's Cheonghae Unit is fulfilling its role as a "sentinel" protecting the lives and property of Korean citizens in the Middle East and African waters. Currently, since the first deployment in March 2009, the 47th contingent, the Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class (DDH-II) destroyer Dae Jo-yeong (4,400 tons), is carrying out its mission in the Gulf of Aden.
The Cheonghae Unit is now in a transition period. The 48th contingent, the 4,400-ton Wang Geon (DDH-II), will depart from Jinhae Base in early May and arrive in the Gulf of Aden in late May to relieve the Dae Jo-yeong. With Cheong Wa Dae stating that it is reviewing U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to join "Project Freedom," an operation to extract ships from the Strait of Hormuz, there is a high possibility that the unit will be deployed to the U.S.-led coalition operation.
Cheonghae Unit to Be Replaced by 48th Contingent Wang Geon in Early June
The Cheonghae Unit is operating within three to four days' sailing distance from the Strait of Hormuz, making it the most likely candidate for deployment should an official U.S. request arrive. With this in mind, the military has strengthened training to counter drones, one of Iran's key weapons, ahead of the Wang Geon's deployment. It has also reinforced soft-kill anti-drone defense systems, including electronic jamming and hacking capabilities.
Cheong Wa Dae's response has also drawn attention as it has shown a more forward-leaning stance on joining the military operation, in contrast to its previous reluctance to take a position. Even when attending the international summit on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz led by the U.K. and France, it made no substantive commitments. But it now appears to be leaving open the possibility of accepting the U.S. request, likely due to pending bilateral issues including tariff negotiations and the U.S. Forces Korea matter.
Still, Cheong Wa Dae faces a dilemma. Several hurdles must be cleared to deploy a warship to the Strait of Hormuz. First, National Assembly approval is required. Article 60, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution stipulates that the National Assembly holds the right to consent to declarations of war, the dispatch of the armed forces abroad, and the stationing of foreign forces within the territory of the Republic of Korea. With elections approaching, this could emerge as a major point of political contention.
Militarily, the priority must be the dispatch of an Aegis-class destroyer with anti-air and anti-ship capabilities capable of fending off Iranian drones and missiles. However, it is difficult to send Aegis ships, which play a key role in readiness against North Korea, to the Middle East. The Navy currently operates only four Aegis ships in total: three Sejong the Great-class and one Jeongjo the Great-class. Clearing mines laid by Iran is another variable.
Another problem is the concern that if the Cheonghae Unit moves to the Strait of Hormuz, security support will be difficult in the Gulf of Aden, its original area of operation. The 46th Cheonghae contingent, the Choi Young, which returned in February, supported 566 vessels over six months. Since the Cheonghae Unit has supported the safe navigation of about 1,000 domestic and foreign vessels annually in the Gulf of Aden, a security vacuum appears inevitable.
