South Korea launches new submarine

SEOUL, May 15 (UPI) -- Daewoo Shipbuilding Engineering has launched a Type 214 submarine for the South Korean Navy, the service's sixth submarine.

The ship is called the Yu Gwan Sun Ham, named after a woman who organized protests against Japanese rule over Korea and died in 1920.

The submarine Yu Gwan Sun Ham is the first combat ship in the South Korean Navy named after a woman.

"With its unique invisibility and survivability, Yu Gwan Sun Ham is a national core strategic weapon as well as a symbol of a strong navy for obtaining maritime control," Defense Minister Han Min-koo said at the launching ceremony. "The navy should develop the fighting power of the submarine to protect the national interest and the ocean sovereignty as a rock, and have an elevated readiness posture."

Type214 submarines are diesel-electric vessels of German design. They have a length of 213 feet, a submerged speed of 20 knots and a tested depth of 702 feet.