Republic of Korea Marine Corps
Encyclopedia
The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (aka ROK Marine Corps / ROK Marines, ROKMC, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...

 Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

: 대한민국 해병대, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

: 大韓民國海兵隊, Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean
The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system...

: Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae) is the marine corps of the Republic of Korea. Though theoretically it is under the direction of the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...

, the Marine Corps operates as a distinct arm of the South Korean forces
Military of South Korea
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of the Republic of Korea...

, unlike most other marine branches, which generally operate as part of the country's navy. It was founded as a reconnaissance force just prior to the start of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. The ROKMC also saw combat during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 while stationed in Da Nang, occasionally fighting alongside US Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 and Navy SEALs.

Founding years

On April 15, 1949, the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) was founded in Deoksan airfield in Jinhae
Jinhae
Jinhae is a district in Changwon City, South Korea. This region is served by the Korean National Railroad, and is famous for its annual cherry blossom festival every spring....

 with an initial strength of 380 men and was modeled around the United States Marine Corps. Lieutenant Colonel Shin Hyun-Joon
Shin Hyun-Joon
Shin Hyun-Joon was a lieutenant general and the first chief commander of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps. He served from April 15, 1949 until October 15, 1953 with a US 1950 Silver Star medal including 5 more prizes and decorations that were awarded to him by the Korean government...

 was appointed to lead as first Commandant of the newly formed Marine Corps and as Commandant was promoted to Colonel on July 1, 1949. The ROKMC troops were issued with many leftover weapons from the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...

 used during World War II, including the 7.7 mm Type 99 Light Machine Gun
Type 99 Light Machine Gun
The was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. -History and development:The Type 96 Light Machine Gun, an improvement over the previous Type 11 Light Machine Gun was introduced into combat service in 1936, and quickly proved to be a versatile weapon to provide...

. The Marine Corps carried out suppression operations against communist elements in Jinju
Jinju
Jinju is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first and second Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War...

 and Jeju-do
Jeju-do
Jeju-do is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946...

.; first saw combat action in the Korean War.

Vietnam War

At the request of the United States, President Park Chung Hee of the Republic of Korea agreed to send military units into Vietnam, despite opposition from both the Assembly and the public. In exchange, the United States agreed to provide additional military funds to Korea to modernize its armed forces, totaling about a billion dollars.

The three main units deployed to Vietnam were the Marine Corps’ Cheongryeong ('Blue Dragon', 청룡/靑龍) Brigade
2nd Marine Brigade (Republic of Korea)
The 2nd Marine Division , notably known as Blue Dragon , is an infantry division of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps.-History:On June 1, 1965, Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyen Cao Ky requested military aid from the Republic of Korea...

, ROKA
Roka
Roka is a khum of Sangkae District in Battambang Province in north-western Cambodia.-Villages:* Chhung Tradak* Pou Batdambang* Ambaeng Thngae* Roka* Ta Haen Muoy* Ta Haen Pir...

 Capital Division and the White Horse Division. Various ROK special forces units were also deployed.

The Republic of Korea Army units' Tactical Area of Responsibility
Tactical Area of Responsibility
Tactical Area of Responsibility is a prescribed area in a theatre of combat which has been assigned to a unit commander who is responsible for, and has the authority to act on, the development and maintenance of installations and the conduct of tactical operations, area defence, coordination of...

 were the southern half of the I Corps
I Corps (South Vietnam)
The I Corps Tactical Zone was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975. It was one of four corps which the ARVN oversaw. This was the northernmost region of South Vietnam, bordering North Vietnam...

. The ROK Marines were deployed with the I Corps alongside US Marines.

1970s and 1980s

In 1973, once a separate branch of the ROK Armed Forces, the ROKMC became a part of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). Headquarters Republic of Korea Marine Corps was re-established in 1987.

Organization

The ROKMC has approximately 29,000 personnel, and is organized into two divisions and one brigade under Headquarters Republic of Korea Marine Corps and primarily dedicated to protecting the nation's islands.

It has such responsibilities as landing operations, accomplished in coordination with the ROKN using landing craft, surface fleets and aircraft. ROK Marines have the ability to accomplish a variety of missions including ground battles, special fighting scenarios, facility protection and security services. To execute amphibious operations, it possesses a range of amphibious equipment, including amphibious vehicles, as well as its own means of fire support. A major naval evolution during Foal Eagle 2000
Foal Eagle
Foal Eagle is an annual combined Field Training Exercise conducted between the Republic of Korea and United States armed forces under the auspices of Combined Forces Command within the Korean Theater of Operations . It is one of the largest military exercises conducted annually in the world...

, an annual combined U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) exercise, was an amphibious assault launched by U.S. and ROK Marines from U.S. Navy ships belonging to 7th Fleet's permanently forward-deployed Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) based in Japan.

Order of battle

  • Headquarters Republic of Korea Marine Corps (대한민국 해병대사령부)
  • Yeonpyeong Unit (연평부대)
  • Education and Training Group (교육훈련단)
  • Amphibious Support Group (상륙지원단)
    • 1st Marine Division (1해병사단)
  • 1st Tank Battalion: equipped K1
    K1 Type 88
    The K1 is a South Korean third-generation main battle tank in use with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, developed by Hyundai Precision...

     MBT
    Main battle tank
    A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...


  • 1st Assault Amphibian Vehicle Battalion: equipped KAAV7A1
  • 1st Reconnaissance Battalion
  • 1st Engineer Battalion
  • 1st Support Battalion
  • 2nd Marine Regiment
  • 3rd Marine Regiment
  • 7th Marine Regiment
  • 1st Marine Artillery Regiment: equipped K55 SPH
    M109 howitzer
    The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...

     / KH179 TH
    • 2nd Marine Division (2해병사단)
  • 2nd Tank Battalion: equipped M48A3K
    M48 Patton
    The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...

  • 2nd Assault Amphibian Vehicle Battalion: equipped KAAV7A1
  • 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion
  • 2nd Engineer Battalion
  • 2nd Support Battalion
  • 1st Marine Regiment
  • 5th Marine Regiment
  • 8th Marine Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Artillery Regiment: equipped K55 SPH
    M109 howitzer
    The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...

     / KH179 TH
    • 6th Marine Brigade (6해병여단) HQ Kumhwa
  • 6th Amphibious Reconnaissance Company
  • 5 Island Garrisons in the West Sea

See also

  • Military of South Korea
    Military of South Korea
    The Republic of Korea Armed Forces or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of the Republic of Korea...

  • Battle of Tra Binh Dong
    Battle of Tra Binh Dong
    The Battle of Tra Binh Dong was probably the most famous battle fought by the South Korean Marines during the Vietnam War. It was fought in the Tra Binh Dong village near the border of Cambodia in February 1967. The battle took place after a Viet Cong defector, former commander of a training camp,...

  • Ganghwa Island Shooting
    Ganghwa Island shooting
    The Ganghwa Island shooting started on July 4, 2011 11:50AM at a coastal sentry in Ganghwa County when a Republic of Korea Marine Corps corporal was on a shooting spree towards his team with a K-2 rifle and later attempted a suicide with a grenade...


External links

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