SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea will transfer the decommissioned Jang Bogo submarine to Poland at no cost by the end of this year, according to multiple military sources.
The donated submarine would give Poland a stop-gap training platform for submarine crews, enabling familiarization with submarine operations and maintenance ahead of the next-generation vessels.
The submarine represented the Republic of Korea Navy’s first generation of post-Cold War submarines. In the South Korean fleet it was commissioned in the mid-1990s after being built — the first boat launched in 1991 and entering service in 1994.
The move is intended to support South Korean companies aiming to take part in Poland’s ongoing submarine acquisition program, the Orka Project.
According to South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean — one of the firms bidding for the Orka contract — the donation helps strengthen its bid by offering Poland an interim capability and smoother transition.
Poland’s Orka Project aims to acquire three new 3,000-ton submarines to modernize its undersea fleet. Competing bidders reportedly include Hanwha Ocean from South Korea, Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Italy’s Fincantieri, and Sweden’s Saab.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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