Development
In the late 1980s the Republic of Korea Navy decided to gradually replace its aging fleet of WW2 era ''LST-542''-class tank landing ships (renamed ''Un Bong'' class) bought from the US Navy in 1958. A three phase plan was laid out to develop new landing ships to meet the demands of modern amphibious and transport operations. The first phase was designated as the LST-I project, and development and design started in 1987 by Korea Tacoma, currently Hanjin Heavy Industries. After 4 years of development, the lead ship ''Go Jun Bong'' (LST-681) was launched in 1991. Three more ships followed and all four ships were commissioned by 1998. The second phase, or LST-II, was originally planned to import four ''Newport''-class tank landing ships, but after being postponed due to budget issues, it was changed in favor for domestic built 4500 ton LPDs to be commissioned by 2013-2016.Design
''Go Jun Bong''-class tank landing ship is based on the design of the ''LST-542'' class, and thus its exterior is very similar to the ''Un Bong'' class. The ship is designed to land multiple personnel, tanks and equipment simultaneously with doors and ramps placed on both the stern and bow of the ship, unlike the ''Un Bong'' class which only has doors on the bow. It is also equipped with a turn table, saving time when loading or landing vehicles. There is also a ramp for moving trucks up to the deck, and multiple elevators for rapid cargo loading.References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Go Jun Bong class tank landing ship Landing craft Amphibious warfare vessel classes Amphibious warfare vessels of the Republic of Korea Navy