This photo, provided by the Navy on Dec. 12, shows the Gangwon, its 2,500-ton frigate. Yonhap

Korea's Navy has selected the 2,500-ton frigate, the Gangwon, as this year's "top gun" ship following an annual assessment of its warships' combat capabilities, officials said Monday.

The frigate of the First Fleet Command based in Donghae, 188 kilometers east of Seoul, won the title after it scored top marks in the Navy's final gunnery competition from September to October, according to the armed service.

The top gun competition, which evaluates combat vessels' ship-to-ship, ship-to-air and other capabilities, has taken place annually since 1988. It is designed to help enhance their combat capabilities.

"The best gunnery combat ship (title) is the result of all crew members standing united," Cdr. Kim Byeong-seok of the frigate was quoted as saying. "We will defend our seas by maintaining the highest level of our readiness posture and surely winning when an enemy provokes."

In the submarine category, the 1,800-ton submarine, the Son Won-il, took the top post, while the Navy's 613th Squadron won the title for the aviation segment.

The award ceremony for all categories will take place later this month. (Yonhap)