Cheonan Reborn 11 Years After Torpedo Attack by N.Korea

More than a decade since the Navy corvette Cheonan was sunk by a North Korean torpedo attack in 2010, it has been reborn as an modern warship to safeguard the West Sea.

The ship will be fulfilling its unfinished mission of protecting the maritime border.

The North sank the 1,000-ton Cheonan in March 2010 near the Northern Limit Line, killing 46 sailors. But the new frigate weighs 2,800 tons, is 122 m long, 14 m wide and 35 m high.

On Tuesday, the South Korean Navy held a launch ceremony at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan. Defense Minister Suh Wook said, "By bringing back the Cheonan, South Korea has kept its promise to remember the sacrifices made by those heroes forever."

The Cheonan will now be fitted out and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2023 and put into service the following year.