[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Candidate Lee Jae-myung "Marine Corps Separation"... Also 10 Years Ago

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, visited the Marine Corps 2nd Division at Aegibong Peace Ecological Park in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 28th, inspecting military security. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, has attracted attention by announcing plans to effectively separate the Marine Corps from the Navy and reorganize the Army, Navy, and Air Force 'three-armed forces system' into a 'quasi four-armed forces system.' The independence of the Marine Corps was already proposed in 2020 when then-independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo introduced a bill to establish a Marine Special Forces and reorganize into a 'four-armed forces system' under the National Armed Forces Organization Act.

On the 28th, candidate Lee announced the 'Marine Corps pledge' at the 2nd Marine Division in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, stating, "There is a global trend to strengthen the Marine Corps. We also need to strengthen our Marine Corps," and added, "We will significantly enhance the Marine Corps' capabilities and independence to maximize its core mission of amphibious assault operations."

Lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo also proposed a bill to establish a Marine Special Forces and reorganize into a 'four-armed forces system.' The bill included integrating the Marine Corps Command and the Army Special Warfare Command (Special Forces) to create a Marine Special Forces with greatly enhanced special operations capabilities, reorganizing into a four-armed forces system following the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Currently, the Marine Corps belongs to the Navy, and the Special Warfare Command belongs to the Army, but the plan is to separate them from their respective branches and integrate them. The Chief of Staff of the Marine Special Forces would be a four-star general, like other branches. Hong proposed this reorganization into a four-armed forces system by establishing the Marine Special Warfare Command as part of his defense pledge during the 19th presidential election in 2017. At that time, he explained the background of the pledge as a shift from a defense-oriented to an offense-oriented defense policy.

The argument that the Marine Corps should be independent from the Navy gained momentum after the 2010 Yeonpyeong Island shelling incident. Following this event, there were claims that the Marine Corps could have responded more strongly if it had independent operational authority. The Marine Corps is a mobile unit tasked with responding to North Korean threats on the front lines and conducting amphibious operations in emergencies. Based on this argument, not only Marine Corps veterans' organizations but also Marine Corps-affiliated lawmakers proposed bills, but they ultimately failed to pass the National Assembly.

It is a reality that the four-armed forces system is rare worldwide. Few countries have an independent Marine Corps separate from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. However, in the case of the United States, the Marine Corps is organized as an independent branch. It is grouped as one of the six armed forces along with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force. The Commander of the U.S. Marine Corps is also a four-star general.