Republic of Korea Marine Corps

Republic of Korea Marine Corps
대한민국 해병대 大韓民國 海兵隊 Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae
Seal of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps
Founded	15 April 1949 (1949-04-15)
Country	South Korea
Type	Maritime land force
Role	Amphibious warfare
Size	29,000 (2022)
Part of	Republic of Korea Navy
Headquarters	HQ Republic of Korea Marine Corps Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Nickname(s)	무적해병 ('Invincible Marines') 귀신 잡는 해병대 ('Ghost Killers') 신화를 남긴 해병대 ('Legend Makers')
Motto(s)	정의와 자유를 위하여 ('For Justice and Freedom') 필승 ('Certain Victory')
March	"나가자 해병대" (English: Let's Go Marine Corps)
Mascot(s)	Jindo Dog
Anniversaries	15 April
Engagements	Korean War Vietnam War Global War on Terror
Website	rokmc.mil.kr
Commanders
President	Choi Sang-mok (acting)
Minister of National Defense	Kim Seon-ho (acting)
Chief of Naval Operations	Admiral Yang Yong-mo
Commandant of the Marine Corps	Lieutenant General Ju Il-Seok
Insignia
Flag

The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC; Korean: 대한민국 해병대, romanized: Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae), also known as the ROK Marine Corps, ROK Marines or South Korean marines, is the naval infantry of South Korea. The ROKMC is a branch of the Republic of Korea Navy responsible for amphibious operations,^[1] and also functions as a rapid reaction force and a strategic reserve.

The ROKMC was founded as a suppression operations force against communist partisans in 1949, prior to the Korean War. The ROKMC also fought in combat during the Vietnam War.

The ROK Marine Corps, with 29,000 personnel, is organized into two divisions and two separate brigades under the Headquarters ROK Marine Corps. The ROK Marine Corps has about 300 tracked vehicles including assault amphibious vehicles, main battle tanks, and self-propelled artillery.