KDX-II is the Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer program that helped modernize the ROK Navy.
KDX-II refers to South Korea's Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers, an important step between earlier KDX-I ships and the larger KDX-III Aegis destroyers. Naval Technology describes KDX-II as a Korean destroyer program, while GlobalSecurity places it in the ROK Navy's destroyer modernization path. The class is a destroyer, not a generic small combatant.
The class combines anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine, and helicopter capabilities in a blue-water hull.
KDX-II ships were designed to give South Korea more capable fleet escorts with missiles, sensors, guns, torpedoes, and helicopter facilities. They do not have the full Aegis system of KDX-III, but they provide a broader combat capability than older frigates and destroyers. The design supports escort, patrol, task-group operations, and regional presence.
KDX-II matters because it gave the ROK Navy experience with larger multirole destroyers before Aegis expansion.
The class helped South Korea move from coastal defense toward sustained blue-water operations. Its value includes combat capability and institutional learning: maintenance, command systems, helicopter operations, and missile integration. Its limits are the absence of KDX-III-level air-defense depth and the need to operate inside a wider fleet network.
| Name | Country | Status | Service Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ROKS Choe Yeong (DDH-981) | 🇰🇷Korea, Republic of | ACTIVE | 2006 – Present | ROK Navy KDX-II destroyer |
ROKS Gang Gam-chan (DDH-979) | 🇰🇷Korea, Republic of | ACTIVE | 2005 – Present | ROK Navy KDX-II destroyer |
ROKS Dae Jo-yeong (DDH-977) | 🇰🇷Korea, Republic of | ACTIVE | 2004 – Present | ROK Navy KDX-II destroyer |
ROKS Wang Geon (DDH-978) | 🇰🇷Korea, Republic of | ACTIVE | 2004 – Present | ROK Navy KDX-II destroyer |
ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (DDH-975) | 🇰🇷Korea, Republic of | ACTIVE | 2003 – Present | ROK Navy KDX-II destroyer |
ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976) | 🇰🇷Korea, Republic of | ACTIVE | 2003 – Present | ROK Navy KDX-II destroyer |
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