President Yoon Attends 'Jeongjodaewangham' Launch Ceremony... Symbolizing New Life Delivered to the Ship Like Cutting the Umbilical Cord
[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] First Lady Kim Geon-hee has resumed her public appearances. One month after attending the 'NATO Summit' in Madrid, Spain, she appeared alongside President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 28th at the launching ceremony of the Navy's next-generation Aegis destroyer, the first ship of its class, the 'Jeongjo the Great' (KDX-III Batch-II No.1).
At the highlight of the launching ceremony, the safe navigation prayer ritual, First Lady Kim personally cut the 'launching ribbon' with an axe. The ceremony of cutting the 'launching ribbon' connected to the ship is known to symbolize severing the umbilical cord and breathing new life into the vessel. This tradition of a woman presiding over the ceremony began in the early 19th century when Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom oversaw the launching of British warships.
The axe used by First Lady Kim was a mini axe about a hand-span in length, with a black handle and a gold leaf-decorated head. After receiving the hand axe from President Yoon, Kim put on white gloves and attempted to cut the launching ribbon in sync with the host's cue, but it did not cut through on the first try. Although tension filled the venue, President Yoon smiled brightly and applauded beside her.
Following the cutting of the 'launching ribbon,' President Yoon and the First Lady also performed the champagne-breaking ritual. Breaking the champagne bottle against the hull after cutting the connected ribbon symbolizes warding off misfortune and praying for safe navigation.
In the past, former First Lady Kim Jung-sook, wife of former President Moon Jae-in, also participated in launching ceremonies. On September 14, 2018, Kim Jung-sook attended the launching ceremony of Korea's first 3,000-ton class submarine, the 'Dosan Ahn Changho' at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's Okpo Shipyard in Geoje, Gyeongnam. Former First Lady Kwon Yang-sook also cut the launching ribbon at the 'Universal Queen' launching ceremony in November 2005. Yuk Young-soo attended the 'Atlantic Baron' launching ceremony in 1974.
Former President Park Geun-hye, the only female president, attended the launching ceremony of the 1,800-ton class submarine 'Kim Jwa-jin' on August 13, 2013, becoming the first president in history to cut the launching ribbon herself. Although presidents have attended launching ceremonies, it was usually the president's spouse who cut the ribbon, but as Korea's first female president, Park was able to cut the launching ribbon directly.
Park Geun-hye, daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, is also known to have attended a launching ceremony in 1972. She attended the launching ceremony of a 230,000-ton ultra-large crude oil tanker jointly built by Korea and the U.S. Gulf Oil Company at a shipyard located at the El Ferrol naval base in Spain, representing her mother, Yuk Young-soo.
On this day, President Yoon said, "It is a meaningful day to launch the Jeongjo the Great, the first ship of the next-generation Aegis destroyer designed and built with domestic technology at the world's highest level," expressing gratitude to the Navy personnel, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and partner companies for their hard work. The 8,220-ton Jeongjo the Great, independently designed and built domestically, is a core maritime force of the Korean missile defense system. The construction contract was signed in 2019, with the keel laid in 2021, leading to today's launching ceremony. The Jeongjo the Great possesses capabilities not only for ballistic missile detection and tracking but also interception.
President Yoon emphasized, "Our shipbuilding industry ranked first in global orders in the first half of this year, and we are exporting the latest military ships made by our own hands worldwide," adding, "The government will foster the defense industry as an advanced strategic industry leading economic growth." He continued, "The development of world-class advanced weapon systems will lead to defense exports and become a driving force for economic growth."
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