Navy personnel pose for a photo during a ceremony marking the ROKS Park Wi submarine's achievement of 300,000 miles of accident-free operation at the Submarine Force Command in Changwon, Aug. 21, in this photo released by the Navy. Yonhap



A 1,200-ton Korean submarine has achieved 300,000 miles of accident-free maritime operations in a milestone underscoring the Navy's enhanced underwater operational capabilities, the armed service said Monday.



A ceremony celebrating the ROKS Park Wi's achievement was set to take place at the Submarine Force Command in Changwon, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, later in the day, according to the Navy.



The domestically built submarine, the fourth Jang Bogo-class ship, was launched in May 1994 and went into service in August 1995. Built by Germany, Korea's first 1,200-ton submarine, ROKS Jang Bogo, hit the 300,000-mile mark in October 2019.



"The fact that a locally built submarine achieved this milestone is proof of Korea's submarine construction and maintenance technology," the Navy said in a press release.



The submarine has engaged in various local and overseas activities, including its participation in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise in 2000 and 2018. (Yonhap)

