Marines will be deployed on Ulleung

By Jun Ji-hye

The Marine Corps plans to deploy its troops on Ulleung Island in the East Sea beginning in 2018.

The deployment of Marines on the island, located near the eastern maritime border with North Korea, is expected to put considerable pressure on the repressive state.

“We will make a rotational deployment of forces on the island,” the Marine Corps headquarters said in a report to the National Assembly.

It is the first time that the Marine Corps officially mentioned the timing of the deployment.

A military source said that a squadron- or battalion-level unit will be stationed on the island, noting that this was not the creation of a new unit, but a rotational deployment of existing forces.

Marines deployed on the island are expected to be tasked with infiltrating into North Korean waters in the event of a war as well as deterring trespassers on the nation’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.

Japan has long laid claim to Dokdo, though South Korea says such claims are tantamount to Japan’s denial of Korea’s independence from its 1910-45 colonial rule, as Seoul reclaimed sovereignty over all of its territory ― including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula ― upon its independence.

The distance between Ulleung Island and the Dokdo Islets is about 90 kilometers.

The Marine Corps said it will begin construction of military facilities on Ulleung Island next year.