FM Cho praises Navy's 'hard work' to keep country safe during visit to battle unit

▲ Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul shakes hands with the sailors of the Second Maritime Battle Group of the Navy's Second Fleet, located in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 29, 2024, in this photo provided by Cho's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

FM-naval unit

FM Cho praises Navy's 'hard work' to keep country safe during visit to battle unit

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul praised the work of the South Korean Navy dedicated to protecting the country during a visit to a battle unit Monday, saying strong security is what buttresses diplomacy.

Cho made the remark during a visit to the Second Maritime Battle Group of the Navy's Second Fleet, located in the Pyeongtaek base, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, his office said.

"I came to encourage our soldiers who are working day and night to protect the country in frontline waters ... As foreign minister, I am especially grateful because diplomacy can only achieve results against the backdrop of strong security," the foreign ministry quoted him as saying in a release.

The Second Maritime Battle Group is a unit in charge of carrying out maritime operations to protect the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea, the de facto western sea border with North Korea.

Ahead of the visit to the battle unit, Cho paid respects at the memorial monument honoring the fallen sailors of the Cheonan, located at the headquarters of the Second Fleet.

In 2010, North Korea torpedoed the 1,200-ton-class Cheonan corvette near the western NLL, killing 46 South Korean sailors.

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