• Strategy21
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• s.39
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• pp.163-197
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• 2016

The completion of Jeju Naval Base on February 2016 made the Republic of Korea Navy(ROKN) review the size and role of the Maritime Task Flotilla(MTF). The new strategic environment for the 12st century and the new challenges require the Navy to counter North Korea's provocations and prevent potential enemy's threat. The Navy is also required to take part in the variety of international roles and missions commensurated with Korea's global status to maximize the national interest. Despite these changes, Korea's military construction concept is still unable to break away from the old paradigm of the North Korean threat largely centered. In order to develop the current MTF into the Task Group with the construction of Jeju Naval Base, the Navy must newly not only establish new force development plan and fleet management concepts but also go to persuade and convince policy decision makers. To this end, the following efforts should be promoted. First, the ROK Navy steps up efforts in order to share with the Task Group's vision and strategy. The Navy should also provide the size and structure as well as the missions and roles of the Task Group to react to new maritime security environment. Second, the Navy analyse the MTF's ability and what is required and necessary to perform its duty. After that, it must set out the direction of the Task Group's force development. Third, the current missions and roles of the MTF should be re-established to respond various threats. Finally, accommodating of new technology to the MTF should intensify its strengths. The ROK Navy has a mixed force structure consisting of three fixed- base fleets and a MTF. The fixed base fleet has a passive force to defend and protect its own sea areas, but the MTF should actively not only counter North Korea's threats, including ballistic missiles, but also fight potential threats and takes international missions as a primary task force. However, the MTF has a limited capability to accomplish given missions and long-range operations, and thus, the ROK Navy is strongly required to construct the Task Group.

• Strategy21
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• s.43
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• pp.57-88
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• 2018

Security situations are fundamentally and rapidly changing on the Korean Peninsula. Above all, as North Korea(NK) is heightening its nuclear and missile capabilities, Republic of Korea(ROK) is facing an existential threat. At the same time, as China's economic, diplomatic and military power is quickly rising, the balance of power is shifting and strategic competition between the Unite States(US) and China is accelerating in the Asia-Pacific region. Under the pressure of development of these situations, ROK seems to face allegedly the most serious crisis in its national security since the end of the Korean War. In the current grim geopolitical situation, maritime security may become the most difficult security challenge for ROK in the years to come. The purpose of this paper is to compare major changes in maritime security affairs of the ROK during last twenty years from 1998 until now(2018). 1998 was when this journal 『Strategy 21』 was published for the first time by the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy. Then, this paper tries to identify challenges and risks with which this country has to deal for its survival and prosperity, and to propose some recommendations for the government, the Navy, and the Coast Guard as they are responsible for the maritime security of the country. The recommendations of this paper are as follows: strengthen ROK-US alliance and expand security cooperation with regional powers in support of the maintenance of the current security order in the region; building-up of maritime security capacity in preparation for crisis on the maritime domain with the navy targeting to acquire 'a non-nuclear, balance-of-terror capability, to improve interoperability with the Coast Guard based on 'a national fleet,' and to actively pursue innovation in naval science and technology. Finally, this paper proposes that naval capability the country needs in another twenty years depends on how effectively and rigorously the navy put its utmost efforts towards building 'a strongest navy' today.

• Strategy21
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• s.41
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• pp.30-51
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• 2017

Neighboring powers in the Korean Peninsula have started to develop and operate aircraft carriers or equivalent forces to cope with rising North Korean nuclear and missile threats and also to show its national might. For example, the United States has added a aircraft carrier from the 3rd fleet to western pacific theater of operation, while Peoples Republic of China is undergoing operational test of Liaoning as well as preparing for christening of its 2nd aircraft carrier. Japan is flexing its muscle as well by deploying Izumo capable of operating F-35B to Southeast Asia to participate in multilateral exercises starting this year. It is a high time to know more about aircraft carriers or similar types in terms of maritime strategy and history. The U.S. has had by far the vast amount of experiences in utilizing aircraft carrier that it would be beneficial for us to examine U.S. perspectives and its application in the Korean Peninsula. It will provide us with insights to understand and predict what it would be like in times of crisis in the Korean Peninsula in the perspective of aircraft carrier's involvement. This paper intends to show some aspects of future conflicts in the Korean Peninsula and how the ROK Navy can best be ready for such situation. For research purpose, U.S. maritime strategy has been developed in stages ; establishment phase, WWI phase, WWII phase, Cold war phase, post Cold war phase. Each phase includes such factors as threats, strategic concept, applications, and ways to improve maritime strategy. Finally, the role of aircraft carrier based on past history as well as future conflict shines the importance to have power projection capabilities for the ROK Navy. The intrinsic nature of the navy in the world is to project power ashore just as history proved it.

• Strategy21
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• s.44
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• pp.5-27
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• 2018

The purpose of this paper is to look at USN's efforts to rebuild its combat power in the face of a reemergence of great powers competition, and to propose some recommendations for the ROKN. In addition to the plan to augment its fleet towards a 355-ships capacity, the USN is pursuing to improve exponentially combat lethality(quality) of its existing fleet by means of innovative science and technology. In other words, the USN is putting its utmost efforts to improve readiness of current forces, to modernize maintenance facilities such as naval shipyards, and simultaneously to invest in innovative weapons system R&D for the future. After all, the USN seems to pursue innovations in advanced military Science & Technology as the best way to ensure continued supremacy in the coming strategic competition between great powers. However, it is to be seen whether the USN can smoothly continue these efforts to rebuild combat strength vis-a-vis its new competition peers, namely China and Russian navy, due to the stringent fiscal constraints, originating, among others, from the 2011 Budget Control Act effective yet. Then, it seems to be China's unilateral and assertive behaviors to expand its maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea that drives the USN's rebuild-up efforts of the future. Now, some changes began to be perceived in the basic framework of the hitherto regional maritime security, in the name of declining sea control of the USN as well as withering maritime order based on international law and norms. However, the ROK-US alliance system is the most excellent security mechanism upon which the ROK, as a trading power, depends for its survival and prosperity. In addition, as denuclearization of North Korea seems to take significant time and efforts to accomplish in the years to come, nuclear umbrella and extended deterrence by the US is still noting but indispensible for the security of the ROK. In this connection, the naval cooperation between ROKN and USN should be seen and strengthened as the most important deterrents to North Korean nuclear and missile threats, as well as to potential maritime provocation by neighboring countries. Based on these observations, this paper argues that the ROK Navy should try to expand its own deterrent capability by pursuing selective technological innovation in order to prevent this country's destiny from being dictated by other powers. In doing so, however, it may be too risky for the ROK to pursue the emerging, disruptive innovative technologies such as rail gun, hypersonic weapon... etc., due to enormous budget, time, and very thin chance of success. This paper recommends, therefore, to carefully select and extensively invest on the most cost-effective technological innovations, suitable in the operational environments of the ROK. In particular, this paper stresses the following six areas as most potential naval innovations for the ROK Navy: long range precision strike; air and missile defense at sea; ASW with various unmanned maritime system (UMS) such as USV, UUV based on advanced hydraulic acoustic sensor (Sonar) technology; network; digitalization for the use of AI and big data; and nuclear-powered attack submarines as a strategic deterrent.

• Strategy21
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• s.38
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• pp.83-111
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• 2015

In these days, 1949 revolt of admirals has a variety of evaluations. In 1949, many people thought that revolt of admirals is simply disobedience to Secretary of Defense. Revolt of admirals was considered that Navy was defeated to Air force. At that time, many people didn't put too much meaning this case. But at long last, the confidential documents about revolt of admirals opened to the public. This historic event's value was re-evaluated. Many researches were progressed in USA, On the other hand only some researches were progressed in Korea. So I try to study this topic and discover another meaning. Then, I will apply this lesson that obtained through study to our Korea Navy.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.859-868
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• 2023

Purpose: In order to enhance safety, the Korea Navy is making efforts to introduce a safety and health management system and to develop a risk assessment system, while safety accidents keeps occurring. A development plan was proposed through an inspection of the Safety Management System(SMS). Method: To diagnose the Korea Navy's safety management system, changes in the safety environment, documentation system, and safety and health management system operation were reviewed, points to be improved were found, and improvement directions were derived. Result: There is a need for an SMS standard that can present the Korea Navy's safety policy and safety management direction, and a safety program that provides guidelines for implementing it in a standardized manner. To this end, we were able to confirm the feasibility of linking the requirements of the US Navy's SMS and the international standard ISO 45001 standard together with the Korea Navy's safety management system. Conclusion: The Korea Navy's safety management system needs to clearly present safety policies and standards, and have public confidence and effectiveness in safety work through a standard program that can implement them, and for this, the development of a Navy SMS is necessary.

• Strategy21
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• s.36
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• pp.180-214
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• 2015

The Republic of Korea navy challenged from the unexpected surprise attacks by the North Korea navy, albeit, the developments of up-to-date naval forces' technology, and the ceaseless efforts for war preparedness. My study divided into two categories. Qualitative methods used for literature review of international relations theory related to the war onset and for investigating events occurred on the Peninsula and its surrounding seas from 1968 to 2007. Quantitative method used such as the analyses of national power index of the two Koreas, the United States, and China, the uses of equation model to calculate power index of alliance, COPDAB(Conflict and Peace Data Bank) index analysis. Like Choi's study on East Asia maritime conflict, as a conclusion, considering both AT theory and maritime national power as a tool for predicting maritime conflict in the Peninsula proved significant. Based on the study, ROK navy need to prepare for the maritime conflict because the results showed North Korea would initiate maritime disputes sooner or later using fatal asymmetric forces and methods. As a policy suggestion, we are required to maintain a concrete ROK-US alliance ties and to construct naval forces due to the deterring functions of maritime national power.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.53-59
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• 2021

The ROK Navy operates many war ships despite its short history. Various types of war ships, such as submarines, destroyers, frigates, corvette etc., use suitable propulsion systems for the operational requirements of each war ship. A hybrid propulsion system was introduced to change from the current mechanical propulsion system to an electric propulsion system according to the changing patterns of naval warfare, and it is expected that an integrated electric propulsion system will also be introduced. Therefore, this paper investigates the propulsion system of major ships operated by the Korean Navy, predicts the changes in future naval warfare, and proposes a propulsion system for future ships.

• Strategy21
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• s.42
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• pp.293-317
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• 2017

A series of immoral conducts are repeatedly occurring by some commanders and high-ranking officers in the ROK navy. They are seriously compromising not only harmony and solidarity of the organization, but also pride and morale of members of the service. They seem to be results of the fragile ethical background of the service as well as of failures in military education and training on ethics. This paper sees backgrounds of weak ethical foundations of the navy as follows: the enduring legacies of cultural factors, such as the toxic military culture of the Japanese colonization, dark side of mariners' traditions, the sea-aversive Confucian culture, and unique characteristics in any small organization or society, etc... This paper also suggests the current ethnic systems of the navy are primarily based on responsive measures against misdeeds, rather than fundamental prescriptions for immoral behaviors, in the absence of ethical instrument for warriors. The paper also emphasizes the importance of developing character-based leadership, founded on, above all, respects for human integrity and strong sense of honor. Moreover, the importance of accountability in charging the command, as advocated by the US navy, is also stressed in order to establish a more robust ethic ground within the navy. Based on these analyses, the author proposes that in order to become a stronger and healthier fighting force, the navy needs to make continuous command efforts and organizational innovations to improve ethic principle and moral standard of the service, to strengthen ethics of naval leaders by a robust system of ethical education and training programs, and ultimately to solidify a navy culture in which moral passions and energies are spreading over.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.68-76
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• 2020

In a series of recent launch tests, North Korea has been improving the firepower of its missiles that can target South Korea. North Korea's missiles and submarines are capable of threatening targets in South Korea and are likely faster and more covert than the systems previously seen in North Korea. The advanced threats require that ROK Navy should not only detect them earlier than ever but also response quicker than ever. In addition to increasing threats, the number of young man that can be enlisted for military service has been dramatically decreasing. To deal with these difficulty, ROK navy has been making various efforts to acquire a SMART warship having enhanced defense capability with fewer human resources. For quick response time with fewer operators, ROK Navy should improve the efficiency of systems and control tower mounted on the ship by promoting the Ship System Integration. Total Ship Computing Environment (TSCE) is a method of providing single computing environment for all ship systems. Though several years have passed since the first proposal of TSCE, limited information has been provided and domestic research on the TSCE is still in its infancy. In this paper, we apply TSCE with open architecture (OA) to solve the problems that ROK Navy is facing in order to meet the requirements for the SMART ship. We first review the level of Ship System Integration of both domestic and foreign ships. Then, based on analyses of integration demands for SMART warship, we apply real time OA to design architecture for TSCE from functional view and physical view. Simulation result shows that the proposed architecture has faster response time than the response time of the existing architecture and satisfies its design requirements.