707th Special Mission Unit
Encyclopedia
The 707th Special Mission Battalion is the elite Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 unit in the Republic of Korea Army
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army is the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with 520,000 members as of 2010...

 Special Warfare Command
Special Warfare Command
Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command is the military command of the Republic of Korea Army responsible for their special operation forces...

. The unit is South Korea’s primary counter-terrorist and quick reaction force. The unit’s soldiers – distinguished by their black berets – are tasked with conducting urban counter terrorist missions, and constitute the Army’s quick-reaction force for emergencies. The battalion's nickname is 'White Tiger.'

The unit also has a small number of female special forces operatives. They are used in counter-terror operations where the presence of a woman is not seen as a threat to a terrorist.

History

The unit had been formed after the Munich massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...

, which forced the South Korean government to create a counter-terrorist unit in time for the 1988 Olympics that would be held on South Korean soil.

The 707th SMB has also been called on by the South Korean government to prioritize potential counter-terrorist operations against any possible threats on South Korean soil. They are currently the only Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Unit in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces much like their US Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...

 and SEAL Team Six
United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group , commonly known as DEVGRU and informally by its former name SEAL Team Six , is one of the United States' four secretive counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units .The vast majority of information about DEVGRU is highly classified, and...

 counterparts.

Training

The recruitment process usually involves conscripts from the 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.

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.

The 707th Special Mission Battalion trains with foreign partners, such as U.S. Army's Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...

, FBI HRT, British SAS, Alpha Group
Alpha Group
The Alpha Group , is an elite component of Russia's Spetsnaz as well as the dedicated counter-terrorism unit of the Federal Security Service...

, French GIGN, Canadian JTF2
Joint Task Force 2
Joint Task Force 2 is an elite Special Operations Force of the Canadian Armed Forces primarily tasked with counter-terrorism operations...

, Hong Kong SDU
Special Duties Unit
The Special Duties Unit is an elite paramilitary tactical unit of the Hong Kong Police Force. Established in July 1974, it is a sub-division of the Police Tactical Unit...

, and Singaporean STAR
Special Tactics and Rescue (Singapore)
The Special Tactics and Rescue is the elite Special Operations SWAT of the Singapore Police Force. Its official task is to provide the Singapore Police Force with a tactical armed-response capability, and its motto is "Vigilance, Valour, Victory"....

. The purpose is to experience and increase relationships and exchanges with international Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 communities.

The Battalion 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.

Weaponry and equipment

  • H&K MP5
    Heckler & Koch MP5
    The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....

  • Benelli M4
    Benelli M4 Super 90
    The Benelli M4 Super 90 is an Italian semi-automatic shotgun manufactured by Benelli Armi S.P.A.-History:On May 4, 1998, the U.S. Army Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ issued Solicitation #DAAE30-98-R-0401, requesting submissions for a new 12 gauge,...

  • Daewoo K-1A
    Daewoo K1
    Daewoo Precision Industries K1/K1A assault carbine is the first modern firearm developed by Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Daewoo Precision Industries, and entered service in Republic of Korea Armed Forces in 1981.-Development:...

  • Daewoo K-2
    Daewoo K2
    The Daewoo Precision Industries K2 is an assault rifle of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, manufactured by Daewoo Precision Industries. It is a shoulder-fired, gas-operated, selective-fire assault rifle that feeds from a 20 or 30 round magazine and is chambered for 5.56 NATO. The K2 replaced the...

  • Daewoo K-3
    Daewoo K3
    The Daewoo Precision Industries K3 was the third indigenous firearm developed in South Korea, following the K1A and K2. The K3 is inspired by the FN Minimi and the United States-issued M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. It is manufactured by S&T Daewoo.-Description:...

  • Daewoo K-7
    Daewoo K7
    The Daewoo Precision Industries K7 was announced in 2003 as a 9 mm silenced submachine gun for use with the South-Korean special forces. It is based on the K1A infantry rifle, from which the receiver and telescopic buttstock was copied...

  • Accuracy International AWM
    Accuracy International AWM
    The AWM is a sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International. It is also known as the AWSM , which typically denotes the .338 Lapua Magnum version.-The Arctic Warfare Magnum system:...

  • Steyr SSG 69
    Steyr SSG 69
    The SSG 69 is a bolt-action sniper rifle produced by Steyr Mannlicher and serves as the standard sniper rifle for the Austrian Army....

  • H&K USP9
  • H&K MSG-90

Popular culture

  • South Korean Special Forces have been featured in the video games Ghost Recon
    Ghost Recon
    Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is an American series of military tactical shooter video games created by Red Storm Entertainment, the game development studio founded in part by American author Tom Clancy....

    , Mercenaries
    Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
    Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is a third-person shooter video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published on January 11, 2005 by LucasArts for PlayStation 2 and Xbox...

    , Counter-Strike Online
    Counter-Strike Online
    Counter Strike Online is a Counter-Strike game targeted towards Asia's gaming market. It is developed by Nexon Corporation of South Korea with oversight from license-holder Valve Corporation. It uses a micropayment model that is managed by a custom version of the Steam back-end...

    , SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike
    SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike
    SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike is the third handheld game in the SOCOM series. In Tactical Strike, the player is in command of four combatants. Unlike previous games in the series, Tactical Strike and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation are developed by Slant Six Games instead of Zipper...

     and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3.
  • The 707th appears in film Shiri
    Shiri (film)
    Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...

     to assist in taking down several rogue North Korean KPA agents.
  • The fictional character Jung Park, an ex-707 member, is a primary character in the video game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas is the fifth game in the Rainbow Six series of video games. It was released for the Xbox 360 on November 21, 2006 and Windows on December 12, 2006. The PlayStation Portable version was released on June 12, 2007, while the PlayStation 3 version was released on June...

    . In addition, Pak Suo-Won is another ex-member of the 707th featured in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear is a tactical first-person shooter computer game developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Rainbow Six game based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name....

     and along with several other Korean members in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Take-Down – Missions in Korea
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Take-Down – Missions in Korea
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Take-Down – Missions in Korea is a South Korean-made PC game release on July, 2001. The game is not based on the Rainbow Six game timeline since the game was not released outside of South Korea and was only made by Kama Digital Entertainment for the South Korean gaming...

    .
  • Ex-707 squad members are featured as antagonists in the Hong Kong movie Dragon Squad
    Dragon Squad
    Dragon Squad is a 2005 Hong Kong action film co-written and directed by Daniel Lee, co-produced by Steven Seagal and starring Vanness Wu, Sammo Hung, Michael Biehn, Maggie Q, and Simon Yam.-Plot:...

    .
  • IRIS
    Iris (TV series)
    Iris is a South Korean espionage television drama series broadcast by KBS in 2009. With a budget in excess of 20 billion won , it, along with its spin-off Athena: Goddess of War, share the record for the most expensive Korean dramas ever produced.Premiering in October 2009, the series was a...

     television series characters Hyun Jun Kim (played by Lee Byung Hun) and Sa Woo Jin (played by Jung Jun Ho) were 707 agents before they entered the NSS.
  • 707th has recently been featured in the new PS3 game, SOCOM 4, where a woman operative by the name Park (Forty-Five) is one of the main characters.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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