South Korean marines drill to hold the northwest islands against drone and cruise missile attacks

South Korea's Marine Corps is running a five-day joint exercise on its frontline islands in the Yellow Sea, rehearsing how to hold them against a mix of artillery fire, fast jets, cruise missiles and suicide drones. The Marine Corps Command, which also serves as the Northwest Islands Defense Command, said on 22 October that the second-half joint island defence drill began on 19 October and runs until 23 October around Baengnyeong, Yeonpyeong and the other northwest islands.

The command said the drill forms part of this year's Hoguk field exercise. Units from the Ground Operations Command, the Navy Operations Command, the Air Force Operations Command and an aviation command are taking part alongside the marines, with about 6,000 personnel and a mix of ships, aircraft and drones committed, according to the reports.

The scenario opens with a sudden, combined attack on the islands. Reinforcements led by the Marine Corps rapid response force then move out from the mainland by sea and air, and the forces on the islands work through joint fire missions, integrated air defence, anti-landing defence and counter-terrorism drills. Local governments are also testing procedures for warning and evacuating island residents as part of an integrated defence drill.

Photographs released by the Marine Corps show how the reinforcements reached the islands on 20 October. Marines flew out on C-130 transport aircraft and boarded MUH-1 Marineon and CH-47 helicopters bound for Baengnyeong. Special reconnaissance troops crossed to Baengnyeong in inflatable boats launched from the landing ship Nojeokbong and travelled to Yeonpyeong aboard a fast landing craft, while K808 wheeled armoured vehicles were shipped to Baengnyeong on a civilian vessel. K2E1 tanks were also shown manoeuvring on Baengnyeong.

The command said the drill was shaped by an analysis of modern warfare and lessons from recent combat. Troops practised putting up protective cover against drones, ran electronic warfare training on the assumption that their radios would be jammed, and used cargo drones and unmanned surface vessels to bring spare parts to forward units. They also rehearsed treating mass casualties, carried out chemical decontamination and live-fire training, and combined field manoeuvres with command post exercises.

Separately, the air force committed about 40 fighter jets, together with army and navy air defence units, to joint air defence training on 20 and 22 October that simulated simultaneous attacks by enemy aircraft and missiles, BBS News reported. The military said the overall aim was to test the defence of the northwest islands and the combined response of the army, navy and air force.

Financial News reported that defence specialists saw the drill as a sign that the military is starting to write threats seen in the Russia-Ukraine war, such as drones diving onto positions from above and heavy jamming, into its island defence plans while keeping its existing fortifications and artillery. The paper said the unmanned resupply trials were aimed at situations where a blockade or bad weather cuts off the usual boat and helicopter supply routes, though the same specialists described the counter-drone and unmanned supply work as still at an early stage.

Officers on the islands stressed coordination between the garrison and the reinforcements. Lieutenant Colonel Do Il-seon, a battalion commander in the Yeonpyeong unit, said the key to defending the islands was close cooperation and integrated operations between local forces and those sent from the mainland, and pledged that his troops would hold the islands in any situation. Lieutenant Colonel Park Ji-hwan, whose rapid response unit reinforced Baengnyeong, said the drill had let his marines check their procedures and real capabilities against a range of enemy provocations.