First Female Colonel Appointed as Commanding Officer of ROKS Dokdo

Colonel-Class Vessel Commanded by Colonel Bae Sunyoung

For the first time in the history of the Republic of Korea Navy, a female officer has been appointed as the commanding officer of a colonel-level vessel, the highest rank among ship commanders.

According to the Navy on August 4, Colonel Bae Sun-young will assume command of the large transport vessel Dokdo (LPH, 14,500-ton class) on August 5. Colonel Bae entered the Korea Naval Academy in 1999 as a member of the 57th class, the year the academy first admitted female cadets, and was commissioned in 2003. Since then, she has served in key positions, including commanding officer of Chamsuri-282, deck officer on the Dokdo, operations officer on the Namwon (patrol ship), and commanding officer on the Wonsan (minelayer), where she proved her abilities in ship operation and operational command.

Colonel Bae recently served as the Head of the Maritime Operations Center at the Combined Fleet Command during the 2026 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), which involved combined forces from 30 countries. She played a critical role in enabling the Republic of Korea Navy to successfully complete the mission as the commander of the combined fleet—a first among Asian countries.

Since the commissioning of the first female naval officers in 2001, over 2,800 female officers and non-commissioned officers are now serving and playing significant roles. Particularly, the Navy has expanded the presence of women across all domains—ship commanders, maritime operations helicopter and patrol aircraft pilots, submarine crew, and special salvage unit (SSU) divers—and female leaders have emerged as commanders of patrol combat corvette (PCC), minelayer ship (MLS), and tank landing ship (LST), among others.

Colonel Bae stated, "It is an immense honor and an enormous responsibility to be appointed as the commanding officer of a large transport vessel in the Republic of Korea Navy," adding, "Rather than focusing on the symbolism of being the first female colonel-level ship commander, I will ensure that the Dokdo is always mission-ready and capable of flawlessly accomplishing any assigned task."

The Dokdo, under Colonel Bae's command, will perform multidimensional landing operations by sea and air, serve as flagship of a mobile task force, act as the mother ship for Navy unmanned assets, and carry out a wide range of missions, including peacekeeping and disaster relief operations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.