Page 219 - 2018 Defense White Paper

increase in the amount of damages caused by piracy in the waters off the coast of Somalia

beginning from 2004. The UN Security Council consequently adopted Resolution 1838 57) with
the UN requesting member states to deploy military vessels and aircraft to the region. The ROK
government deployed Cheonghae Unit to the Gulf of Aden off the Somalia coast in March

2009 after obtaining the consent of the National Assembly.
Cheonghae Unit’s major missions are to protect domestic and foreign vessels, support safe
voyages, participate in maritime security operations of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)

and the EU, and protect ROK citizens in contingencies. As of November 2018, the unit is
composed of one destroyer, one helicopter, three rigid-hull inflatable boats (RIBs), and 302
troops. While acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden have gradually declined, it remains crucial to

secure the safety of the area. The Gulf of Aden is a major maritime route for the transportation
of strategic goods, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas, and about 29% of the total
maritime cargo volume of the ROK passes through the area. 58)
Cheonghae Unit escorts vessels at their request; shares piracy information with vessels passing

the Gulf of Aden via wired and wireless means; warns of dangers, if necessary; and executes
counter-piracy operations in cooperation with the CMF and the EU. In February 2017, the unit
Chapter 5
participated in the EU’s counter-piracy operation for the first time and blocked pirates’ entry
into waters of f Gulf of Aden from the northern Somali coast. 59)
In January 2011, the Cheonghae Unit successfully executed the “Operation Dawn of Gulf
of Aden” to rescue a ROK ship and its crew from pirates. In March 2011 and August 2014, the

unit also ef fectively carried out the “operation of evacuating ROK nationals residing in Libya,”
where ROK nationals and foreigners were safely evacuated from Libya to nearby countries.

57) Cheonghae Unit is operating around north of latitude 11° south, west of longitude 68° east. The unit calls upon
states to fight against piracy by deploying naval vessels and military aircraft. It is allowed to utilize naval vessels
and military aircraft operating on the coast of Somalia as long as it conforms to the international law. It also
urges the states to cooperate with Somalia’s transitional federal government in the fight against piracy, and the
states and regional organizations to protect the World Food Program (WFP) maritime convoys carrying food aid.
58) Two Chinese destroyers and one logistics support vessel are participating in counter-
piracy operations. Japan has committed two vessels and two patrol aircraft to the
counter-piracy operations since 2009 while also providing one vessel to the CTF-151 in
2014 and acting as the commander of the CTF-151 in 2015.
59) Operation Atalanta is a counter-piracy operation conducted by the EU (CTF-465) to
protect vessels that pass through the sea off the coast of Somalia. The operation began Cheonghae Unit
in the Gulf of Aden
in 2008, and the Cheonghae Unit has participated in the EU operation since 2017. (promotional animation)

Section 4 Contribution to International Peace through Overseas Deployments 217