South Korean Army Sniper Team Takes First Place in International Division at U.S. International Sniper Competition

The Only Asian Country Invited
Four Members from Army 1st Corps Special Forces Regiment, Including Staff Sergeant Park Daewoon

The South Korean Army sniper team achieved first place in the international division at the International Sniper Competition hosted by the U.S. Army.

The Army announced on the 23rd that the sniper team from the Special Forces Regiment, 1st Army Corps, participated in the '2025 U.S. International Sniper Competition' held from the 4th to the 10th at the U.S. Army Sniper School in Fort Moore, Georgia, and ranked first in the international division (ranking among participating countries excluding the United States). The four-member sniper team representing South Korea consisted of Staff Sergeant Park Daewoon (spotter), Sergeant Jang Jewook (shooter), Sergeant Lee Dongsuk (coach), all from the Special Forces Regiment, 1st Army Corps, and Staff Sergeant Jang Pilseong (interpreter) from the 9th Division.

Sergeant Jang Jewook (shooter) and Staff Sergeant Park Daewoon (spotter) of the Sniper Team, Special Forces Regiment, 1st Army Corps, participated in the '2025 U.S. International Sniper Competition' held from the 4th to the 10th at Fort Moore, Georgia, USA, where they were targeting and shooting. Photo by the Army

First held in 2001, the sniper competition is a prestigious event where the best snipers selected from around the world gather to compete. This year, 35 teams from nine countries, including Germany, the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, participated. South Korea was the only Asian country to receive an official invitation for the second consecutive year.

The sniper competition is known for presenting participants with new extreme scenarios each year. This year, each team was given only a map, coordinates, and a single live round, and was required to infiltrate within 400 meters of the target without being detected by opposing forces to conduct a sniper shot. In another challenge, teams had to identify and eliminate targets in the shortest possible time in a scenario where friendly and enemy forces were mixed. In addition, the competition evaluated close-quarters combat abilities using rifles and pistols in simulated battlefield situations where sniping was impossible, and assessed not only marksmanship but also the ability to overcome various situations in terms of physical strength and mental resilience.

Staff Sergeant Park Daewoon, who participated in the competition for the second consecutive year, stated, "We trained and prepared thoroughly so that we could compete with the world's top-level teams, and I approached the competition with confidence." He added, "I feel a great sense of accomplishment in having proven our military's sniping capabilities on the international stage."

Meanwhile, the Army plans to use this competition as an opportunity to compare and analyze new techniques and various training methods of snipers from around the world, and to identify requirements for the development of the Army's education and training system as well as improvements in organizational equipment and supplies. The Army also intends to continue advancing its sniper education and training system by making participation in the U.S. International Sniper Competition a regular practice.