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707th Special Mission Group

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  • 707th Special Mission Battalion (1981 – 2019)
  • 707th Special Mission Group (2019 – present)
제707특수임무단
707th in the UAE
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
Represent logic with action, prove the process with results
Commanders
Current
commander		Classified

The 707th Special Mission Group (Korean: 제707특수임무단, Hanja: 第707特殊任務團) is a general-purpose special forces unit of the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command (ROK-SWC).

History

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QRF ROK 707th Ashena Unit in Afghanistan

The unit was formed after the Munich massacre, which forced the South Korean government to create a counterterrorism and hostage rescue 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 counterterrorism and hostage rescue operations against any possible threats on South Korean soil.[6] The unit is South Korea's primary black operation, counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and quick reaction force (QRF). 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 against irregular military, constitute the Army's QRF for emergencies, special operations that are extremely high-risk and dangerous, and urban counterterrorism and hostage rescue missions.[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 (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 Forces contingent, named 'Akh Unit,' deployed there to train local forces.[10]

1982 Korean Air Force transport crash

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

On 5 February 1982 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 ROK-SWC's 49 commandos and four air force personnel.[14]

2024 South Korean martial law

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Main article: 2024 South Korean martial law

On 3 December 2024, at approximately 10:27 p.m. Korea Standard Time (KST), South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law during an address broadcast live on YTN television. He accused the opposition Democratic Party of sympathizing with North Korea and conducting "anti-state activities", further labeling them a criminal organization working with North Korean communists to destroy the country. The order included the prohibition of any political activities, including of the National Assembly, and a suspension of the freedom of the press. Members of the 707th Group were dispatched by the president to the National Assembly building and attempted to enter the main hall where they were thwarted by protestors. Some personnel were spotted carrying simunitions rounds rather than live ammunition.[15] Following the National Assembly's vote to repeal the martial law decree, personnel from the 707th had withdrawn.[16]

Training

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The recruitment process usually involves conscripts from different branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces (ROK 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.[17]

707th maintains close ties with similar units from around the globe, including Singapore's STAR group, the Australian SASR and Hong Kong's Special Duties Unit (SDU) although the unit's closest ties are with the US Army's 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) and Delta Force.[18][19]

The 707th Group also owns and operates a multi-complex counterterrorism and hostage rescue training site for the ROK-SWC and hosts multi-national counterterrorism and hostage rescue training.[20]

707th Special Mission Group snipers in United Arab Emirates.

Equipment

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Republic of Korea 707th Akh Unit in UAE

The 707th SMG is known to be using the M2016 Special Warfare Command four-colour desert digital pattern.[21]

Firearms

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UDT SEAL snipers

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "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. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Article about 707th SMG". November 9, 2014. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  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. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 7 July 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). Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  10. ^ "아크부대 파병, UAE 왕세제가 제안… 5년간 한국무기 1조2000억원어치 사". The Chosun Ilbo. July 20, 2020. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "53 special troops killed in operation". jejusori.net. 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  12. ^ "53 South Korean soldiers killed in transport crash". Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Around the world military air crash kills 53 in South Korea". The New York Times. 7 February 1982. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  15. ^ Alexander, Oliver. "Most of the Korean SOF operators I saw at the National Assembly building had no magazines in their pistols, were carrying blue training magazines and had simunition bolt carriers in their rifles". Archived from the original on 2024-12-05. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  16. ^ Ntim, Zac (2024-12-03). "South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol To Lift Martial Law Order". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  17. ^ 707th South Korea. Archived 2012-04-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on May 25, 2011.
  18. ^ "707th Special Missions Battalion". Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  19. ^ "Reports Discuss Korea's 707th Special Mission Unit". Archived from the original on 2004-10-22. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  20. ^ "Republic of Korea". Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  21. ^ "Camo Spotted at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi". 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
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