707th Special Mission Group

The 707th Special Mission Group (Korean: 제707특수임무단, Hanja: 第707特殊任務團) is an elite counter-terrorism unit of the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command.

  • 707th Special Mission Battalion (1981 – 2019)
  • 707th Special Mission Group (2019 – present)
제707특수임무단
Counter-terrorism training with Capital Defense Command in Seoul, 2015
Active17 April 1981 – present
Country South Korea
Branch Republic of Korea Army
TypeSpecial Forces
SizeGroup
Part ofROKA Special Warfare Command
Garrison/HQClassified
Nickname(s)White Tiger
Motto(s)행동으로 논리를 대변하고, 결과로써 과정을 입증한다
Commanders
Current
commander		Classified

History

The unit was formed after the Munich massacre, which forced the South Korean government to create a counter-terrorist unit in time for the 1988 Olympics that would be held in South Korea.[1] In 1984, B Squadron of Delta Force traveled to South Korea to conduct training with the 707th.[2]

Prior to reorganization the 707th Battalion had about 200 men and women organized into a:

  • Counter-Terrorism Team
  • Maritime-Operations Team
  • Air-Assault Team
  • Sniper Team
  • Intelligence Company
  • All-female Company

The all-female company could be used as bodyguards or for low-visibility operations, all divided into fourteen-man operating teams, as well as support and demolition teams. The all-female company was deactivated in 2014.[3][4][5][1]

The unit has also been called on by the South Korean government to prioritize potential counter-terrorist operations against any possible threats on South Korean soil.[6] The unit is South Korea's primary counter-terrorist and quick reaction force. The unit's soldiers – once distinguished by their black berets (before the standardization of the black beret for all active soldiers) – are tasked with conducting urban counter-terrorist missions, and constitute the Army's quick-reaction force for emergencies.[7] The unit's nickname is White Tiger.[8]

During February 2019, the former 707th Special Mission Battalion was reorganized and renamed as the 707th Special Mission Group (Hangul: 제707특수임무단) with additional personnel and equipment to ensure higher readiness against various threats.[9] It is now commanded by a Colonel instead of a Lieutenant Colonel.

Since 2011, the 707th Special Mission Group has maintained a presence in the United Arab Emirates as part of the South Korean Special Operations Forces contingent, named 'Akh Unit,' deployed there to train local forces.[10]

1982 Korean Air Force transport crash
Main article: February 1982 Korean Air Force C-123 accident

On 5 February 1982, the unit suffered a devastating blow, when a Fairchild C-123J carrying 47 of its members, along with six Korean Air Force personnel, were killed in a crash while on approach to Jeju International Airport, Jeju, South Korea.[11][12][13] It was the deadliest peacetime accident the Korean armed forces experienced since the Korean War, with the exception of another Air Force C-123 that crashed into Mt. Choenggye on 1 June 1982, killing 53, including 49 commandos and four air force personnel.[14]

Training

The recruitment process usually involves conscripts from different branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces who apply and try out to become members of the elite force. Others are handpicked by their superiors across the different branches of the military and try out like their applicant counterparts. The selection process is very rigorous. First applicants will undergo a background check and then undergo a 10-day procedure in which 90% are eliminated.

All members of the 707th Group are SCUBA Diver or UDT/SEAL's and airborne 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.[15]

707th maintains close ties with similar units from around the globe, including Singapore's STAR group, the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and Hong Kong's Special Duties Unit (SDU) although the unit's closest ties are with the US Army's 1st Special Forces Group, Delta Force and the British Army's Special Air Service.[16][17]

The 707th Group also owns and operates a multi-complex counter-terrorism training site for the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command and hosts multi-national counter-terrorist training.[18]

707th Special Mission Group snipers in United Arab Emirates.

Equipment

The 707th SMG is known to be using the M2016 Special Warfare Command four-colour desert digital pattern.[19]

Firearms

See also

References
  1. "Special Operations and Counter Terrorist Forces". Archived from the original on 2005-12-04. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  2. "Special Forces Detachment Korea: South Korean Counter-Terrorism and the all-female CT company (Part 14)". 5 May 2017.
  3. "Article about 707th SMG". November 9, 2014.
  4. Bonds, Ray; Miller, David (13 February 2003). Illustrated Directory of Special Forces. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760314197 – via Google Books.
  5. "Special Forces Detachment Korea: South Korean Counter-Terrorism and the all-female CT company (Part 14) - SOFREP". 5 May 2017.
  6. "Korean Forces Strengthen Counter-Terrorism Posture After al-Qaida Warning". Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  7. "707th". Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  8. "Republic of Korea". Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  9. 이석종 (18 March 2019). "대테러 작전 수행 707특수임무대대 확대 개편" [Extensive reorganization of the 707th Special Mission Battalion to carry out anti-terrorism operations] (in Korean). Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  10. "아크부대 파병, UAE 왕세제가 제안… 5년간 한국무기 1조2000억원어치 사". 조선일보. July 20, 2020.
  11. "53 special troops killed in operation". jejusori.net. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  12. "53 South Korean soldiers killed in transport crash". Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  13. "Around the world military air crash kills 53 in South Korea". The New York Times. 7 February 1982. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  14. "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  15. 707th South Korea. Archived 2012-04-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 25, 2011.
  16. "707th Special Missions Battalion". Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  17. "Reports Discuss Korea's 707th Special Mission Unit". Archived from the original on 2004-10-22. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  18. "Republic of Korea". Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  19. "Camo Spotted at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi". 10 March 2023.
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