President Yoon Suk Yeol visited a major naval base in the southern part of the country this week as part of his summer vacation, his office said Wednesday.

During the two-day visit to the naval base in Changwon, some 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Yoon spent time with service members, playing basketball with a group of Navy personnel and Marines on Wednesday, it said.

On Tuesday night, Yoon had dinner with various service members at the base, including those who served during the sinking of a warship by a North Korean submarine in March 2010 and the bombardment of a border island in the Yellow Sea in November that year.

"A strong national security posture not only protects the Republic of Korea from North Korea, but it also helps the economy," Yoon said, referring to South Korea by its official name, according to his office.

"Through strategic cooperation and security cooperation with friendly countries, we must make the entire international community support us if the Republic of Korea is placed in a dangerous situation."