SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's first-ever icebreaking vessel reached a port in New Zealand Friday, the last stop before it heads to the Antarctic, according to South Korean news service YTN.

    The icebreaker, named Araon, stopped at the port of Christchurch, New Zealand, to store supplies and refuel before heading to the Antarctic next Tuesday for research expedition, YTN said.

    The 7,487-ton ship will conduct research in Cape Burks, where South Korea is preparing to build its second research base in the Antarctic, and in Terra Nova Bay, the southeastern end of the Antarctic, according to YTN.

    South Korea currently has one research base, the Sejong Research Center, on King George Island off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.