Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Ministry of National Defense takes part in joint PKO and Humanitarian Mine Action exercises

On September 15, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it will be taking part in the joint Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) and Humanitarian Mine Action exercises to be held at the PKO center, located in Bogor, Indonesia, from September 16 to 20.

The PKO exercises are part of peacekeeping activities by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). A total of 370 personnel from 18 member nations are set to take part in the planned exercises. The Republic of Korean military will dispatch an operations team of ten officers and two military observers.

The exercises will be held under the supervision of Indonesia and Australia, co-chairman countries of the PKO committee, and will include training programs in a range of areas, such as illegal searches, armed children, security screening, detection and disposal of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and emergency treatment, as required in peacekeeping missions.

The Republic of Korean military plans to showcase the superiority of its equipment and peacekeeping capabilities by employing cutting-edge equipment such as the light tactical vehicles and individual combat system (warrior platforms) that are currently being deployed and operated by its troops dispatched overseas.

The Humanitarian Mine Action exercises will focus on the detection and disposal of mines and unexploded bombs under the supervision of Russia and Laos, co-chairman countries. Three Republic of Korean reserve instructors from the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team will take part as observers.

“The exercises will serve as a foundation for our military to develop the PKO training system and to play a key role in the peacekeeping activities of the international community,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Republic of Korea is set to host the U.N. Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in 2021.

By Byeong-No, Yun <trylover@dema.mil.kr >

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