By Mike Bain/cvnznews.com
Most Kiwis don’t spend much time thinking about the Korean Peninsula, but right now a group of New Zealand soldiers is over there doing something pretty remarkable — and it’s turning heads among our defence partners.
A 33‑strong NZ Army platoon has just wrapped up a major training exercise with the Republic of Korea Marine Corps near Pohang, and for the first time ever, our soldiers were fully embedded inside a Korean landing battalion. In simple terms: Kiwi troops trained shoulder‑to‑shoulder with one of the toughest amphibious forces in the world.
The exercise was massive — around 3,200 personnel from South Korea’s Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps all taking part. It all built up to a dramatic final assault on Doksok‑ri Beach, complete with high‑speed landing craft, Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles, simulated naval gunfire, and air support roaring overhead. Think of it like a real‑world version of what you’d normally only see in a military documentary.
Captain Matt Peri, who commands the Kiwi platoon, says the training pushed everyone in the best possible way. The team worked with Korean Marines on everything from urban operations and live‑fire drills to landing rehearsals and learning how to move in and out of Korean assault vehicles.
“The professional environment the ROK Marines created made this an outstanding experience,” he says. “We learned a lot — and we shared a lot too.”
The scale of the exercise was huge: around 20 naval vessels, including the helicopter‑capable ROKS Marado, plus fighter jets, attack helicopters, maritime patrol aircraft, and unmanned systems all in the mix. For a small country like ours, being part of something this large is no small thing.
But there’s a deeper story here too. New Zealand has a long history on the Korean Peninsula, going right back to the Kiwi “K‑Force” during the Korean War. Since 1998, we’ve kept personnel in the United Nations Command to help maintain peace between North and South Korea. This deployment continues that legacy — and strengthens our ties with partners who value our professionalism.
For everyday Kiwis, it’s a reminder that even though we’re a small nation at the bottom of the world, our people are out there contributing to stability in one of the most tense regions on the planet. And by all accounts, they’re doing us proud.
