Seoul aiming to speed up production of light carrier

摘要

Amid the growing naval capabilities of neighbouring countries, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have requested that construction plans for the Republic of Korea Navy's (RoKN's) next-generation light aircraft carrier be brought forward. Officials from the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Seoul told Janes on 8 October that the JCS want the carrier's basic design to be included in the MND's Defense Mid-Term Plan covering the period from 2021-25, meaning that design work could start as early as 2021.