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]
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]
On 3 December 2024, at approximately 10:27 p.m. Korea Standard Time (KST), South Korean presidentYoon 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
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]
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]
^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.
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