Q&A: do Korean carrier plans copy Queen Elizabeth?

Are South Korean carrier designs modified versions of Britain's Queen Elizabeth class?

Not directly, but similar medium-power constraints lead to some of the same conventional-carrier design principles.

Korean carrier plans are not simply modified Queen Elizabeth-class ships. They do share design principles because both navies are trying to make conventional carrier aviation work for a medium power. Britain and France combine medium-power resources with global commitments, while Japan and South Korea concentrate more regionally. Those differences in basing and force structure shape the final design even when the underlying affordability problem is similar. The answer distinguishes convergent requirements from direct design descent.