By Yi Whan-woo
The Marine Corps plans to create a new command tasked to defend the country’s islands near North Korean, Japanese and Chinese waters, next year.
This is to counter growing territorial claims of Japan and China as well as North Korea’s possible provocations in the western sea border.
In particular, the Marine Corps will set up a new unit dedicated to defending islands in the East Sea, including Dokdo, to which Japan has intensified its sovereignty claims.
The Marine Corps unveiled these plans during a National Assembly audit.
“We’ve been seeking to take relevant measures preemptively as China, Japan and North Korea have been bolstering their amphibious capabilities,” a Marine Corps officer said.
The Marine Corps currently has the 5,000-strong Northwest Islands Defense Command, which is in charge of defending the South’s five border islands in the West Sea. This will be transformed into a larger command with 6,000 personnel with an expanded mission of defending islands in other seas as well.
The tentatively titled “Ulleung unit” will be permanently stationed on Ulleung Island, which lies less than 90 kilometers west of Korea’s easternmost islets Dokdo in the East Sea.
The envisioned unit will be responsible for detecting and blocking any outside threats toward Dokdo, Ulleung Island and surrounding regions.
The Marine Corps currently deploys its troops to Ulleung Island in rotation but the measure was seen as inadequate in swiftly responding to defend Dokdo.
In a statement released later Thursday, the Marine Corps explained that the “Ulleung unit” is not exclusively tasked with protecting Dokdo, a move seen as to avoid a dispute with Japan amid its territorial dispute with South Korea over the islet.
The Marine Corps will separately form an aviation unit by 2021 and also plans to acquire amphibious assault helicopters, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wheeled armored vehicles, high-speed vessels and an air-defense radar between 2020 and 2023.
The National Assembly audit of the Marine Corps took place at Gyeryongdae military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province, where the Navy and the Army had their own audits as well on Thursday.
The Navy said it plans to create an aviation command by 2020 and a maneuver fleet by 2030 in line with its push for “offensive warfare” against North Korea’s evolving military threats.
The aviation command, if set up, is expected to be led by a rear admiral who will be in charge of more than 70 planes and helicopters, including additional maritime patrol aircraft and anti-surface surveillance and attack choppers.
The fleet will include 7,600-ton Aegis destroyers and KDDX destroyers.
The Navy said this will help execute the South Korean military’s three-pronged defense system against North Korean attacks _ the Kill Chain, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR).
The system is to strike Pyongyang preemptively if Seoul is faced with an imminent threat while shooting down the enemy’s incoming missiles and taking retaliatory measures if the country is under attack.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Um Hyun-seong said he will “take a long-term perspective” regarding conservative lawmakers’ demands to acquire a supercarrier.
Um vowed to take stern measures against North Korea should it provoke South Korea near the five border islands in the West Sea, saying “it will be considered as a full-scale war.”
Meanwhile, the Army expressed concerns its strength may be weakened by an overhaul of the armed forces in line with President Moon Jae-in’s vision.
The President seeks to create a smaller but more self-reliant armed force with a higher percentage of professional soldiers rather than relying mainly on conscripts.
The Army, however, said it will account for the highest decrease in the number of conscripted soldiers under the military reform.
It promised to take reform measures on its own amid criticisms of its high-ranking officers who were blamed for mistreating their soldiers and exploiting them for private purposes.
The Army said it is ready to destroy North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities using Korean-developed missiles -- Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile, Hyumoo-2 and Hyumoo-4 -- in the event of war.