South Korea - ROK Navy - Surface Ships

Sounds like CIWS-2 is closer to Goalkeeper than Phalanx, and that's not necessarily a great thing. Goalkeeper was a lot heavier and needed space below the deck, while Phalanx sat on the deck and only needed power and cooling run to it.

If CIWS-2 is like Phalanx in that it sits on the deck and only needs power and cooling (and isn't too much heavier), it'd be just this side of trivial to replace the older Phalanx units. Bring a crane to the dock and a flatbed holding the CIWS-2 and having a space to drop the Phalanx. Phalanx gets disconnected from power and cooling and the deck mount, then picked up by crane and swung onto the trailer. Crane then picks up CIWS-2 and swings it back over to the ship and drops it onto the existing Phalanx base mount. Bolt it down and connect power and cooling, job's done in half a day.

Which also gives the ROK a bunch of Phalanx CRAM units.
 
https://cimsec.org/why-the-u-s-should-support-south-koreas-naval-expansion/
Excerpt:
South Korea is undertaking a deliberate and ambitious transformation of its navy into a blue water force capable of regional power projection. This evolution is not simply about prestige or symbolism. It is a calculated move rooted in geostrategic necessity. As tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait and Chinese naval power expands across the first and second island chains, Washington should see Seoul’s naval modernization not as redundant or overlapping, but as a critical force multiplier.

This is especially relevant in the Yellow Sea, where a better-integrated U.S.-ROK naval posture could significantly enhance sea denial capabilities South Korea’s geographic proximity to China’s northern coastline presents a strategic opportunity to constrain the PLA Navy’s North Sea Fleet, which is headquartered in Qingdao and tasked with defending China’s most vulnerable maritime approaches. By jointly developing anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategies focused on the Yellow Sea, the alliance could effectively impose strategic costs on China’s northern naval operations and blunt its access to the first island chain.
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The United States provided Australia and Japan with Aegis destroyer technology, but rejected South Korea's request.
https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/023/0003935430?sid=100It has been confirmed that the South Korean Navy approached the U.S. side regarding the introduction of Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), one of the core systems of Aegis destroyers, but the U.S. Navy declined the request.
 
supplement
The request for the introduction of Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) is solely between the Republic of Korea Navy and the United States Navy, and is not a formal intergovernmental request.
 

South Korea’s KDDX Enters Detailed Design and Lead Ship Construction Phase​

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...iled-design-and-lead-ship-construction-phase/
South Korea’s DAPA has officially signed the main contract with Hanwha Ocean for the detailed design and construction of the first-in-class KDDX destroyer, targeting delivery to the ROK Navy by 2032.
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The formal signing moves the KRW 7.8 trillion (US$5.7 billion) program out of the selection phase and directly into active realization. The first-in-class KDDX is scheduled for delivery to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy in 2032.
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KDDX: The Core of ROK Navy’s Future Task Flotilla​


The KDDX program aims to build six 6,000–7,000 ton-class stealth destroyers designed to replace the aging Gwanggaeto the Great-class (KDX-I) destroyers. The class will form the backbone of the ROK Navy’s Task Fleet Command.

Unlike the existing Sejong the Great-class (KDX-III) Aegis destroyers, which rely heavily on American systems, KDDX is envisioned as South Korea’s first fully indigenous Aegis-equivalent combatant. Major domestically developed systems aboard the ship include:

  • An integrated dual-band S/X phased-array Multi-Function Radar (MFAR) housed in an Integrated Mast (I-MAST).
  • Indigenous Combat Management System (CMS) and advanced sonar suites.
  • Domestically produced surface-to-air and strike weaponry launched via KVLS-I and KVLS-II cells.
  • An Integrated Electric Propulsion System (IEPS) designed to reduce acoustic signature and support future high-energy weapons.
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Forest Green said:
The KDDX program aims to build six 6,000–7,000 ton-class stealth destroyers designed to replace the aging Gwanggaeto the Great-class (KDX-I) destroyers. The class will form the backbone of the ROK Navy’s Task Fleet Command.
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The new ships that are actually replacing the role of KDX-1 are FFX-IIIIs that are being built. They will assume the command ship duties on 1st and 2nd fleet, where that role is currently being filled by KDX-1, as well as in 3rd fleet where FFX-I and -II are fulfillingthe flagship duties. KDDX as mentioned in the article will be assigned to the Task Fleet and will fulfill a different mission set.
 
A dual-band radar like what was planned for Zumwalts and Fords? Someone is being ambitious!
 

ROK Navy Tests AI Uncrewed Mine Warfare in Sea GHOST Trial​

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/08/rok-navy-sea-ghost-ai-uncrewed-mine-warfare-experiment/
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During the trial, the joint force sequentially tested and verified several critical operational phases:

  • AI-assisted, automated mission planning and execution;
  • Multi-domain uncrewed system tactical integration;
  • Real-time underwater mine detection, image processing, and target analysis; and
  • End-to-end mine countermeasure and neutralization procedures.
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