Republic of Korea Marine Corps The Republic of Korea Marine Corps ( ROKMC ; Korean : 대한민국 해병대 ; Hanja : 大韓民國海兵隊 ; Revised Romanization : " Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae " ) , also known as the ROK Marine Corps , or the ROK Marines , is the marine corps of South Korea . Though theoretically it is under the direction of the South Korean Chief of Naval Operations , the ROK Marine Corps operates as a distinct arm of the South Korean Armed Forces , unlike the marine corps of most other countries , which generally operate as part of a navy . The ROKMC was founded as a reconnaissance force just prior to the start of the Korean War . The ROKMC also saw combat during the Vietnam War , while stationed in Da Nang , occasionally fighting alongside U . S . Marines and U . S . Navy SEALs . The marine corps , with 25 , 000 personnel , is organized into two divisions and one brigade under the Marine Corps Command . To execute amphibious operations it possesses a range of amphibious equipment such as amphibious vehicles , as well as its own means of fire support . History . Founding years . On April 15 , 1949 , the Republic of Korea Marine Corps ( ROKMC ) was founded in Deoksan airfield in Jinhae with an initial strength of 380 men and was modeled around the United States Marine Corps . Lieutenant Colonel Shin Hyun - joon 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 used during World War II , including the 7 . 7 mm Type 99 Light Machine Gun . The Marine Corps carried out suppression operations against communist elements in Jinju and Jeju - do ; ROKMC saw combat actions in the Korean War , including the Battle of Incheon . Vietnam War . At the request of the United States , South Korean President Park Chung Hee of 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 South Korea to help modernize its armed forces , totaling about a billion dollars . The three main units deployed to Vietnam were the ROKMC ' s Blue Dragon Brigade ( ; Hanja : 靑龍 ; " Cheongryeong " ) , ROKA Capital Division and the White Horse Division . Various South Korean special forces units were also deployed . The Republic of Korea Army ' s Tactical Area of Responsibility was the southern half of the I Corps . The ROKMC was deployed with the I Corps , alongside U . S . Marines . The garrison of ROKMC in Vietnam , however , led to some controversial events during the war , including Phong Nhi and Phong Nhat massacre , Ha My Massacre , and the problems of Lai Đại Hàn ( Vietnamese - Korean multiracials ) . 1970s . In 1973 , once a separate branch of the ROK Armed Forces , the ROKMC became a part of the Republic of Korea Navy ( ROKN ) . In 1974 , 1st Marine Division Commander Lee Dong - Yong made infantry regiment to specialize its each of 3 battalion to Airborne / Amphibious Infiltration / Ranger . Such system spread to whole ROKMC . 1980s . In 1982 , ROKMC established ' 812 " Hammer " Unit ' . Their mission was to perform retaliation operations against DPRK . 300 agents passed Hammer Unit training and 198 of them performed actual infiltration & observation operations . The unit ' s motto was ' Kill them all , Leave judgement to God ' . Their training included 10 km mountain run in an hour with full kit and carrying 100 kg boat over head of 6 ~ 7 marines . Training also included 12 km continuous sea swimming . 10 marines died from mental disorder after discharge and 3 are still suffering . Defense Department admits the existence of 812 hammer unit but since their mission record is not existing , it ' s hard to compensate for damage of marines . The Headquarters of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps was re - established in 1987 . 2010s . On November 23 , 2010 , Bombardment of Yeonpyeong happened . There was an engagement between DPRK Army and ROKMC YP unit . By result of this event , ROK government canceled its Military Reform Plan 2020 which was to downsizing scale of Marine Corps in North - West islands . Instead , ROK government established Military Reform Plan 307 ( Plan 307 ) . Plan 307 effected ROKMC by deploying new ARTHUR artillery hunting radar to North - West islands till February 2012 . With Plan 307 , North - West Islands Defense Command ( NWIDC ) was established on June 15 , 2011 . ROKMC commander holds an additional position as NWIDC commander . With NWIDC , ROKMC commander can command Army , Navy , Airforce under NWIDC branch in actual combat situation . Plan 307 also includes a plan to fortifying all 5 islands in North - West sea area until 2015 with constructing bunkers for tanks , K - 9 Thunder , K - 10 ARV and civilians , making trenches , establishing Guided - Missile unit which is equipped with 60 Spike missiles and 4 launchers , deploying Hostile Artillery Locating System ( HALO ) which is manufactured by Selex Galileo company , creating AH - 1S Cobra unit under 6th Marine Brigade in Baengnyeongdo , increasing size of artillery unit in Yeonpyeong from company to battalion which changed their number of K - 9 Thunder from 6 to 18 , deploying K - SAM Chunma and 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 is stating the right of personnel management can be exercised by ROKMC commander not by ROKN commander ( Until 2011 , ROKN commander exercised the right ) , legislating ROKMC deputy commander , dividing and specifying ROKMC ' s main operation as ' amphibious operations ' from ROKN ' sea operations ' , including ROKMC commander as formal member of joint chiefs of staff council , legislating ROKMC commander as member of Defense Project Promotion Committee , giving right to select uniform from ROKN commander to ROKMC commander and making ROKMC commander to exercise the right of the Management of Military Supplies of ROKMC . By dividing 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 got their record of service back from ROKN on October 13 . ROKMC started to supply new uniform from October 1 . ROKMC used to wear their own uniform different from others before 1973 , but after ROKMC HQ were dissolved , ROK Marines had to wear the uniform that is same with others . This new uniform is different from new uniform of Army , Navy , AirForce ( These 3 forces use same uniform ) . The new uniform was designed to guarantee marines to survive in amphibious operations by using colors of beach , sand and seaweeds . On June 4 , 2012 , Ministry of National Defense confirmed a plan to distribute 32 amphibious mobile helicopters to ROKMC . ROKMC scheduled to establish aviation group in 2017 ~ 2020 with 2 amphibious mobile helicopter battalions and 1 attack helicopter battalion with Colonel in chief . Organization . The ROKMC has approximately 28 , 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 . The ROKMC has 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 , 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 . Equipment . Acquisition plans are tied to Army 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 Amtracs in USMC service were modified to LVTP7A1 standard , but 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 additional AAV7A1 vehicles . Since 1998 , South Korea had deployed these 124 new vehicles to bolster its defenses against North Korea as well as replace its aging fleet . The Marine Corps has no aircraft of its own , relying on air 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 surveillance vehicles . M48A3K Main Battle Tanks tanks are being replaced by around 50 - 60 K1A1 tanks . To support the force K - 55 self - propelled howtizers and KH - 179 towed howtizers are used .