The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC; ), also known as the ROK Marine Corps, ROK Marines or South Korean marines, is the naval infantry of South Korea. The ROKMC is a branch of the Republic of Korea Navy responsible for amphibious operations, and also functions as a rapid reaction force and a strategic reserve.

The ROKMC was initially founded in 1949 under Imperial Japanese Army military doctrine as a suppression operations force against communist partisans. The ROKMC fought extensively throughout the Korean War and in combat operations during the Vietnam War. In modern times, the ROKMC has been involved in coalition military operations in the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan.

The ROK Marine Corps, with 29,000 personnel, is organized into two divisions and two separate brigades under the Headquarters ROK Marine Corps. The ROK Marine Corps has about 300 tracked vehicles including assault amphibious vehicles, main battle tanks, and self-propelled artillery.

History

Founding years

left|thumb|Deoksan airfield (present-day [[Jinhae Airport|Jinhae naval airfield) circa 1950]]

On April 15, 1949, the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) was founded at Deoksan airfield in Chinhae with an initial strength of 380 men. Lieutenant Colonel Shin Hyun-joon was appointed to lead as the first Commandant of the newly formed Marine Corps and he was promoted to colonel on July 1, 1949. The ROKMC consisted of 2 rifle companies and a headquarters company equipped with many secondhand weapons from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) used during World War II, including the Type 99 Light Machine Gun.

In November 1987, the Headquarters Republic of Korea Marine Corps was re-established; it was disbanded in October 1973 due to budgetary constraints.

2010s

thumb|ROKMC K9 self-propelled howitzer preparing a counterattack after the initial attack from North Korea

On November 23, 2010, the Bombardment of Yeonpyeong incident occurred. There was a rigorous engagement between the North Korean Army and a South Korean Marine Corps YP unit. As a result of this event, the South Korean government cancelled its Military Reform Plan 2020 which was to downsize the number of Marine Corps personnel deployed in North-West islands. Instead, the South Korean government established the Military Reform Plan 307 (Plan 307).

Plan 307 affected ROKMC by deploying new ARTHUR artillery hunting radar to North-West islands until February 2012.

With Plan 307, Northwest Islands Defense Command (NWIDC) was established on June 15, 2011. ROKMC Commandant holds an additional position as NWIDC commander. With NWIDC, ROKMC Commandant can command Army, Navy, Airforce under NWIDC branch in actual combat situation.

Plan 307 also includes a plan to fortify all 5 islands in the North-West area until 2015 by constructing bunkers for tanks, K-9 Thunder, K-10 ARV and civilians, digging trenches, establishing Guided-Missile unit which is equipped with 60 Spike missiles and 4 launchers, deploying the Hostile Artillery Locating System (HALO) which is manufactured by the Selex Galileo company, creating an AH-1S Cobra unit under the 6th Marine Brigade in Baengnyeongdo, increasing size of artillery units in Yeonpyeong from company to battalion which changed their number of K-9 Thunder from 6 to 18, deploying the K-SAM Chunma and the K-136 multiple rocket launcher to North-West islands and increasing numbers of marines in North-West islands by more than 1000.

On June 23, 2011, the South Korean National Assembly legislated a law that states the right that personnel management can be exercised by the ROKMC Commandant instead of the ROKN Chief of Naval Operations (Until 2011, the CNO exercised the latter), legislating the ROKMC Deputy Commandant, dividing and specifying ROKMC's main operation as 'amphibious operations' from ROKN 'naval operations', including the ROKMC Commandant as a formal member of the joint chiefs of the staff council, legislating the ROKMC Commandant as a member of the Defense Project Promotion Committee, giving him rights to select the uniform from CNO to the ROKMC Commandant and making the latter exercise the rights of the Management of Military Supplies of the ROKMC.

By dividing the ROKMC's main operation from ROKN, ROKMC made a stepping-stone to become a National Strategic Mobile Force.

On October 15, 2011, The law mentioned above took effect. ROKMC retrieved their record of service back from ROKN on October 13. ROKMC started issuing new uniforms since October 1. The ROKMC used to wear their own distinct uniforms before 1973, but after the ROKMC HQ were dissolved, South Korean marines had to wear uniforms similar to those used by the South Korean navy (sans the sailor caps). This new uniform is different from the new uniform of the ROKA, ROKN and the ROKAF (these 3 forces use same uniform). The new uniform was designed to camouflage marine personnel for amphibious operations by using colors of beach, sand and seaweed.

On June 4, 2012, Ministry of National Defense confirmed a plan to distribute 32 amphibious mobile helicopters to ROKMC. The ROKMC scheduled to activate an aviation group between 2017 and 2020 with 2 amphibious mobile helicopter battalions and 1 attack helicopter battalion with Colonel in chief.

2020s

On November 21, 2023, the Marine Corps of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea held first exercises in last 5 years in the city of Pohang, in which about 3,400 marines, more than 30 amphibious assault vehicles and 10 Navy ships took part. During the exercises, amphibious landings in the coastal zone were practiced using amphibious ships, transport aircraft and helicopters, while Navy ships and attack helicopters provided cover for the troops.

In late 2025, the Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back announced plans to reform the Marine Corps including the promotion of the Marine Corps Commandant to four star rank and to review the creation of a separate Marine Corps operations command.

Organization

thumb|right|ROK Marines conducting Northwest Islands defense training

The marine corps, with 29,000 personnel, is organized into two divisions and two brigades under the Headquarters Republic of Korea Marine Corps. The Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps is a three-star general. After the bombardment of Yeonpyeong, the Commandant of the ROKMC also holds the commander position of the NWIDC (Northwest Islands Defense Command). The 1st Marine Division can operate in sea, air, land, with specializing its three infantry battalions under a single regiment to Airborne/Amphibious Assault/Ranger. Furthermore, the ROKMC's Recon units (two Reconnaissance Battalions and one Reconnaissance Company) hold various special warfare trainings such as scuba and parachuting.

The ROKMC relies on the ROK Navy for medical treatment of its wounded, as specially trained Navy medics are to some extent integrated into the Marine Corps' units and also instructing fundamental first-aid techniques to new recruits (similar to the US Navy's Corpsmen).

Quick Maneuver Force

In March 2016, the South Korean defense ministry announced the formation of a Quick Maneuver Force (nickname: "Spartan 3000", size - regiment consisting of 3,000 of South Korean marines.) The unit will be combat ready to be deployed in any part of the Korean Peninsula within 24 hours in case of an attack from the DPRK forces and will be responsible for targeting high priority targets in North Korea including nuclear facilities. This new announcement also aims to make the ROK deployment strategy more efficient as it aims to be able to deploy a ROKMC regiment within 24 hours instead of the current 48 hours.

On 2 May 2016, Quick Maneuver Force was launched with the official name: "ROK Navy·Marine Corps Quick Maneuver Force" (대한민국 해군·해병대 신속기동부대) and official nickname: "Jeseung Unit" (제승부대, 제승(制勝) means guarantee victory).

Currently, official name is "ROK Marine Corps Quick Maneuver Force" (대한민국 해병대 신속기동부대) and 2 brigades in the 1st Marine Division undertake a task of the Quick Maneuver Force in turn.

  • Confusion with ROK Army 13th Special Mission Brigade (Decapitation Unit)

On 4 September 2017, When South Korean Miniser of National Defense, "Song Young-moo" announced that

"Decapitation Unit (참수부대)" would be established in December 2017.

But "Spartan 3000" was a nickname of the ROK Marine Corps Quick Maneuver Force and this unit was already fully formed in March 2016.

Order of battle

thumb|right|ROKMC Recon Trainees conducting Small-Unit IBS Amphibious Raid

thumb|right|Marine Recon Trainees during Recon School (BRC)

  • Republic of Korea Marine Corps Headquarters (대한민국 해병대사령부, ROKMC HQ)
  • Special Force Reconnaissance Battalion (특수수색대대) (Located in 1st ROKMARDIV)
  • Headquarters Battalion
  • Information and Communications Battalion
  • Military Police Command
  • Marine Corps Safety Command
  • Marine Corps Investigation Command
  • Combat Simulation Analysis Center
  • Cyber Operations Center
  • Sexual Harassment Prevention & Response Center
  • Leadership Center
  • Marine Corps Military Research Institute
  • 1st Marine Division (Sea-Dragons, 제1해병사단, 1st ROKMARDIV)
  • 1st Headquarters Battalion
  • Quick Maneuver Force
  • 2nd Marine Brigade (Yellow-Dragon)
  • 21st Marine Battalion (Airborne)
  • 22nd Marine Battalion (Amphibious Raid)
  • 23rd Marine Battalion (Ranger)
  • 3rd Marine Brigade (King-Kong)
  • 31st Marine Battalion (Airborne)
  • 32nd Marine Battalion (Amphibious Raid)
  • 33rd Marine Battalion (Ranger)
  • 7th Marine Brigade (Warthog)
  • 71st Marine Battalion (Ranger)
  • 72nd Marine Battalion (Amphibious Raid)
  • 73rd Marine Battalion (Airborne)
  • 1st Marine Artillery Brigade (Phoenix): equipped with K55/K9A1
  • 2nd Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 3rd Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 7th Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 11th Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 1st Reconnaissance Battalion
  • 1st Tank Battalion: equipped with K1 Main Battle Tank
  • 1st Amphibious Assault Vehicle Battalion: equipped with KAAV7A1
  • 1st Engineer Battalion
  • 1st Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Defense Battalion
  • 1st Intelligence Battalion
  • 1st Information and Communications Battalion
  • 1st Medical Battalion
  • 1st Support Battalion
  • 1st Military Police Company
  • 1st Low Altitude Air Defense Battery
  • 16th Reserve Forces Management Regiment
  • 2nd Marine Division (Blue-Dragons, 제2해병사단, 2nd ROKMARDIV)
  • 2nd Headquarters Battalion
  • 1st Marine Brigade
  • 11th Marine Battalion
  • 12th Marine Battalion
  • 13th Marine Battalion
  • 5th Marine Brigade
  • 51st Marine Battalion
  • 52nd Marine Battalion
  • 53rd Marine Battalion
  • 8th Marine Brigade
  • 81st Marine Battalion (Rhino)
  • 82nd Marine Battalion (Hornet)
  • 83rd Marine Battalion (Bat)
  • 2nd Marine Artillery Brigade: equipped with K55/K9 Thunder
  • 1st Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 5th Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 8th Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 22nd Marine Artillery Battalion
  • 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battery
  • 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion
  • 2nd Tank Battalion: equipped with K1 Main Battle Tank
  • 2nd Amphibious Assault Vehicle Battalion: equipped with KAAV7A1
  • 2nd Engineer Battalion
  • 2nd Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Defense Battalion
  • 2nd Information and Communications Battalion
  • 2nd Intelligence Battalion
  • 2nd Support Battalion
  • 2nd Medical Company
  • 2nd Military Police Company
  • 1st Reserve Forces Management Battalion
  • 2nd Reserve Forces Management Battalion
  • North West Islands Defense Command (서북도서방위사령부, NWIDC)
  • 6th Marine Brigade (Black-Dragons, 제6해병여단, 6th BDE) on Baengnyeongdo island
  • 6th Headquarters Battalion
  • 61st Marine Battalion
  • Headquarters Company
  • 1st Company
  • 2nd Company
  • 3rd Company
  • Weapons Company
  • 62nd Marine Battalion
  • Headquarters Company
  • 5th Company
  • 6th Company
  • 7th Company
  • Weapons Company
  • 63rd Marine Battalion
  • Headquarters Company
  • 9th Company
  • 10th Company
  • Weapons Company
  • Tank Company
  • 65th Marine Battalion
  • Headquarters Company
  • 13th Company
  • 15th Company
  • 17th Company
  • Weapons Company
  • 6th Marine Artillery Battalion: equipped with K9 Thunder/K10 ARV
  • Headquarters Artillery Battery
  • Observation Artillery Battery
  • 1st Artillery Battery
  • 2nd Artillery Battery
  • 3rd Artillery Battery
  • 5th Artillery Battery
  • MLRS Battery
  • Guided Missiles Battery
  • 6th Marine Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion
  • Headquarters Company
  • 1st Low Altitude Air Defense Battery
  • 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battery
  • 6th Support Battalion
  • Headquarters Company
  • 6th Maintenance Company
  • 6th Supply & Transport Company
  • 6th Reconnaissance Company
  • 6th Engineer Company
  • 6th Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Defense Company
  • 6th Information and Communications Company
  • 6th Intelligence Company
  • 6th Medical Company
  • Yeon-Pyeong Unit (Bone-Dragons, 연평부대, YP-Unit) on Yeonpyeong island
  • Headquarters Company
  • 90th Marine Battalion
  • Headquarters Company (Black Lion)
  • 1st Company (White Tiger)
  • 2nd Company (Lighting)
  • 3rd Company (Phoenix)
  • Weapons Company (Eagle)
  • 9th Marine Artillery Battalion: equipped K9 Thunder/K10 ARV
  • Headquarters Company (Sea of Blood)
  • Observations Company (Eagle Eye)
  • 6th Artillery Company (Vanguard)
  • 7th Artillery Company (Biryong)
  • 8 Artillery Company (Black Turtle-Snake)
  • Guided Missiles Company
  • MLRS Company
  • U-do Garrison Unit
  • Engineer Company
  • Information and Communications Company
  • Intelligence Company
  • Logistics Support Company
  • Medical Company
  • Low Altitude Air Defense Battery
  • Tank Platoon
  • 9th Marine Brigade (White-Dragons, 제9해병여단, 9th BDE) on Jeju island
  • Headquarters Battalion
  • 9th Rapid Response Battalion
  • 91st Marine Battalion
  • 92nd Marine Battalion
  • 93rd Marine Battalion
  • Military Police Company
  • Special Duty Team
  • Marine Artillery Company: equipped with K55/KH179
  • 9th Engineer Company
  • Information and Communications Company
  • Marine Air Group (항공단) (MAG)
  • Headquarters Squadron
  • 1st Squadron
  • 2nd Squadron
  • Aviation Maintenance Squadron
  • Training Squadron
  • 2ROKMARDIV Detachment
  • Marine Corps Logistics Support Group (군수단) (LSG)
  • Headquarters Company
  • Transport Battalion
  • Supply Battalion
  • Maintenance Battalion
  • Amphibious Support Battalion
  • Information and Communications Company
  • Marine Corps Education and Training Group (교육훈련단) (ETG)
  • Education and Training Group Headquarters Battalion
  • 15th Marine Training Regiment
  • Officer Training Battalion
  • Non-Commissioned Officer Training Battalion
  • Recruit Training Battalion
  • 1st Recruit Training Company
  • 2nd Recruit Training Company
  • 3rd Recruit Training Company
  • 5th Recruit Training Company
  • Training Support Group
  • Amphibious Warfare Training Battalion
  • Reconnaissance & IBS (Inflatable Boat Small) Training Company
  • Airborne Training Company
  • Ranger Training Company
  • Supply/Logistics Training Company
  • Artillery/Mortars Training Battery
  • Information and Communications Training Company
  • Amphibious Assault Vehicles Training Company
  • Marksmanship Training Unit
  • Mobilization Support Group
  • 16× Mobilization Support Battalions

thumb|center|1000px|Republic of Korea Marine Corps organization 2025

Personnel

Ranks

In the South Korean armed forces, ranks fall into one of four categories: commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer, and junior enlisted (), in decreasing order of authority.

  • Commissioned officer

Commissioned officer ranks are subdivided into -level (general) officers, -level (field-grade) officers, and -level (company-grade) officers.

{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"

|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"

! Rank group

! colspan=10| General officers

! colspan=6| Field officers

! colspan=8| Junior officers

|- style="text-align:center;"

|}

  • Warrant officer

All branches of the South Korean armed forces maintain a single Warrant Officer rank known as . Warrant Officers fall in between non-commissioned and commissioned officers. The rank is denoted by a gold-colored insignia.

{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"

|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC; text-align:center;"

! Rank group

! Warrant officer

|- style="text-align:center;"

| rowspan=2|

| 50px

|- style="text-align:center;"

| <br />

|}

  • Enlisted

Every year about 12,000 new recruits are trained by the Marine Corps Education and Training Group at Pohang.

In the South Korean armed forces, personnel with ranks of through are considered non-commissioned officers. There are enlisted ranks called "Corporal" and "Sergeant" in English, but they are not considered non-commissioned officer ranks, though they are treated as one if they hold an NCO position. (; Hanja: ), (; Hanja: ), and (; Hanja: ) are commonly referred to as , , and respectively.

{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"

|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC; text-align:center;"

! Rank group

! colspan=16| Non-commissioned officer

! colspan=20| Enlisted

|- style="text-align:center;"

|}

Equipment

thumb|right|KAAV7A1 assault amphibious vehicles of the ROKMC at Cobra Gold 2014 in Thailand, with applique armor kits installed on the hull.

The ROKMC's acquisition plans are intrinsically tied to the ROK Army's procurement and focus on increasing tactical mobility, firepower, and command and control.

Until the mid-1990s, the ROKMC fleet of Amphibious Vehicles consisted of 61 Landing Vehicles Tracked (LVT) and 42 AAV7A1. In the early 1980s all amphibious tractors in ROKMC service were modified to LVTP7A1 standard, but the original variant remained for many more years in service. In an effort to replace the LVTs, the ROKMC undertook a 57 AAV7A1 co-production contract, later increased with an additional 67 AAV7A1 vehicles. Since 1998, South Korea had deployed these 124 new vehicles to enhance its defense against North Korea as well as replacing its current fleet consisting of obsolete vehicles.

The Marine Corps has no aircraft of its own, thus relying on aerial support from the Army and Navy. The service plans to create an aviation brigade with transport and KAI Surion attack helicopters by 2015. To strengthen its intelligence-gathering and surveillance capabilities, the service also is considering deploying unmanned aerial vehicles for reconnaissance.

thumb|K-55 self-propelled howitzers of the ROKMC

thumb|right|ROKMC [[Plasan Sand Cat fires a Spike NLOS in 2014]]The former M48A3K Main Battle Tanks are fully replaced by around 50 to 60 K1 tanks. To support the force, K55, K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers and KH179 towed howitzers are used.

thumb|ROKMC Combat members are doing physical training with their camo pattern

The individual equipment may vary. The old ERDL type camouflage is still in use with training units, although it has been phased out largely by the ROKMC's new digital camouflage. The M-1956 load-carrying equipment, alongside large backpacks (similar to the ALICE backpacks) are still used, though most units now have been issued newer, updated LCE gear or combat vests and often also body-armor/plate-carriers and modern rucksacks with MOLLE webbing.

The helmets in use are of the traditional steel-type (similar to the M1 and M80) and Kevlar helmets. Some units, such as Recon units, prefer the use of boonie hats.

In 2013, the ROKMC procured four Plasan Sandcat light protected vehicles with 67 Spike NLOS guided missiles.

By the end of 2017, ROK Marine Corps forces are to deploy the Bigung (flying arrow) guided rocket system near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) along the western sea border to protect the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong from assault by North Korean hovercraft. The Bigung is a truck-mounted launcher that uses the LOGIR guided rocket, which is in diameter, long and weighs with a range of . Each system is capable of engaging multiple craft, with target acquisition and designation sights (TADS) and an uncooled infrared detector that can independently detect and track multiple targets simultaneously. Compared to coastal artillery, the system is more mobile and versatile, and can fire up to 36-40 rockets at once. The Agency for Defense Development partnered with LIG Nex1 for development and production.

Firearms

  • Daewoo K1A Carbine/SMG, issued to tank/helicopter/vehicle crews, some elite-units use K1As with aftermarket handguards, rail-systems and sights.
  • Daewoo K2/K2C1 Standard-issue assault rifle, often used in conjunction with the K201 40&nbsp;mm grenade launcher, Picatinny RIS issued to all Reconnaissance units, top-mounted Picatinny rails being issued to all active units
  • Daewoo K3 Standard-issue LMG
  • Daewoo K5 Standard handgun, issued to tank/helicopter crews and high-ranking officers
  • Daewoo K7 Silenced SMG in use with some special units
  • Daewoo K14 Sniper rifle in use with Recon units
  • Steyr SSG 69 Sniper rifle used by some elite units
  • Accuracy International AWM Sniper rifle used by some elite units
  • Colt M16A1 Assault rifle, license-produced by (Daewoo) S&T Precision, used by some training units alongside the K2
  • M1 Garand Semi-automatic battle rifle, used by honor guard only

See also

  • Military of South Korea

References

  • ROKMC Guide (globalsecurity.org)