Philippines, South Korea navies hold joint maritime drills

The navies of Philippines and South Korea conduct joint maritime exercises in nearby Manila waters on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. The Republic of Korea Navy also donated 10,000 face masks and 2,000 hand sanitizers.  NPAO

MANILA, Philippines — The navies of the Philippines and South Korea carried out joint maritime exercises in waters near Manila on Tuesday (Nov. 17).

The Republic of Korea Navy’s (ROKN) cruise training task group, the ROKS Kang Gam-chan (DDH-979) and the logistics support ship ROKS Soyang (AOE-51), was supposed to visit Manila but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, the ROKN held a joint exercise with the Philippines’ BRP Conrado Yap (PS-39) while on its way to Malaysia, the Philippine Navy said in a statement Wednesday.

The BRP Conrado Yap, a former Pohang-class corvette, was donated by the South Korean government. It was named after an Army captain who fought during the Korean War, which marked its 70th year this year.

The passing exercise was conducted on Tuesday morning, which included a low-altitude flyby of the Philippine Air Force’s FA-50 light fighters.

The ROKN handed over 10,000 pieces of face masks and 2,000 pieces of hand sanitizers while at sea. It was transferred through rigid inflatable boats, the Navy said.

“The gesture was inspired by South Korea’s deep appreciation of the Philippines for being the first Asian country to send troops in their support during the Korean War in 1950,” it said.

EDV