In this photo, provided by the Navy on Jan. 22, 2021, members of the Sea Salvage and Salvage Unit conduct annual winter training in Jinhae South Port. The three-day exercise began on Wednesday. (Republic of Korea Navy)
An elite South Korean navy unit began annual winter training on Thursday to boost its readiness for underwater rescue operations, the navy said.
About 90 members of the Sea Rescue and Salvage Unit (SSU) kicked off the three-day training session in the waters off Jinhae, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, focusing on underwater search navy and related operations.
The training session included rubber dinghy pedalling, open water swimming and scuba diving.
Members will also participate in a maritime rescue exercise involving a UH-60 helicopter the following day.
“Through the training, (the members) were able to develop strong mental and physical capacities to fully accomplish missions under all circumstances,” said Cdr. Lee Chang-hyun was quoted by the Navy as saying.
Established in 1950 as one of the Navy’s special forces, the unit performs ship rescue and search. He participated in various rescue missions, including the sinking of the ferry in 2014. (Yonhap)
