Busan: The Navy announced on Tuesday the appointment of its first female officer to command a large amphibious transport ship, marking a progressive step towards merit-based personnel selections. Captain Bae Sun-young is set to take command of the 14,500-ton ROKS Dokdo starting Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Bae began her naval career in 1999 when the Naval Academy first started recruiting female cadets, and she was commissioned in 2003. Her experience includes commanding roles on the Chamsuri patrol boat and the Wonsan minelayer ship. Recently, she contributed to the Combined Force Maritime Component Command during this year's U.S.-RIMPAC multilateral maritime exercise, where South Korea led the maritime component as the first Asian nation to do so.

Bae expressed her honor and sense of responsibility in taking on this significant role. She emphasized her commitment to ensuring that the Dokdo is always mission-ready, rather than focusing on the symbolic nature of her appointment as the first female commanding officer of a captain-rank warship.

The ROKS Dokdo, measuring 199 meters in length and 30 meters in width, is equipped for multidomain amphibious operations across air and sea. It serves as a flagship for task groups and a mother ship for naval unmanned systems, with capabilities extending to peacekeeping and disaster relief missions.