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South Korea

Special Operations and Counterterrorist Forces

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Republic of Korea Marine Corps

The ROKMC was created in 1949. The ROKMC is the largest Special  Operation force in South Korea. They first saw action in the Korean War.  One during the Korean conflict, a squad of ROKMC wiped out an entire battalion of Communist forces. As a result to this, they were acclaimed by foreign media and were dubbed the "Invincible Marines." They and also saw action during the Vietnam War. In Vietnam they were stationed in Danang. There they sometimes fought alongside with the USMC or the Navy SEAL's. Their most notable operations were "Operation Van Buren" and the Battle of Hoi An. During "Operation Van Buren," a ROKMC platoon of about 13 people wiped out an elite North Vietnamese Army regiment. There were only 2 Koreans dead and more than 400 NVA soldiers dead. It was first a gun battle but it broke down into hand to hand combat. The ROKMC had an overall kill ratio of 25:1.

Capital Division

The Capital Division was formed just before the Vietnam War. The soldiers were the best of the best of the Korean Armed Forces. They were handpicked officers, regulars, medical units, and intelligence officers. They also had the best equipment. They did this so they would not do less than a good job in Vietnam. Their kill ratio was averaged at 17:1 or higher in Vietnam. After Vietnam, the Capital Division became a counter-terrorism/ intelligence force. They were there to guard the free Kimpo from North Korean commandos.

707th Special Mission Unit

The 707th Special Missions Btn is part of the Korean Army's Special Forces Unit, originally formed in April, 1958. After the Munich Olympic disaster the 707th was formed and was rapidly expanded into a 200 strong force in anticipation of the 1988 Olympics. The unit is split into two companies, each organized around four 14-man operations teams. Support and demolitions teams also exist to augment the main teams. They are headquartered in Songham, southeast of Seoul. Counter-terrorism training for the 707th is very vigorous. Training for the SF unit that all operators must be members of before selection to the 707th is a full year long, including six months of basic infantry combat skills and another six months of special warfare training. All members of the 707th are SCUBA and parachute qualified. It is reported that members frequently perform daily calisthenics in the snow and sub-zero temperatures and will swim in freezing lakes without any thermal protection. It is also reported that the 707th maintains a group of combat qualified female operators for use in situations where a woman would not be suspected of posing a risk, such as an airline hijacking where food and medicine might be allowed to be taken on board.

The 707th uses a wide variety of foreign and locally produced weapons. Pistols include the Colt .45 and the Daewoo 9mm, Berretta M9 9mm. The HK MP-5 is now used as a submachine gun for assaults. Both the Daewoo K1 and K2 assault rifles are used, albeit modified for assaults with the addition of forward pistol grips and in some cases low-light and night vision devices. Modified M- 60E3's and and K3 Beltfed are used for machine gun support. For rearguards a Tactical a Benelli Super-90 shotgun with pistol grips is used For light sniping the HK PSG-1 and M-24 7.62mm rifles have been used, heavier sniping needs are cause for the M-40 .50 and RAI .50 caliber weapon to be broken out. The 707th provided security for VIPs and for key facilities during the 1986 Asian Games and during the 1988 Olympics. At both events, terrorist attacks were considered to be a real danger. The 707th's soldiers – distinguished by their black berets – are assigned urban counterterrorist missions. They also constitute a quick-reaction unit for other kinds of emergencies and special-warfare requirements in wartime. In addition to working with special Korean counterterrorist police units, the 707th also trains with special units from the United Kingdom, United States, Israel and Australia.

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