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The Republic of Korea recognized the need for Marines early in its history, creating an efficient force that bravely fought the North Koreans in the summer of 1950.
The United States Marine Corps and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) have fought and trained together for nearly 50 years. Despite this long common history, little has been written about the earliest days of the ROKMC. English language histories universally focus on the relationship between the two Corps commencing with the Inchon landing, as evidenced by this 1955 account:
Activated in 1949 by the Republic of Korea, the unit took part in anti-guerrilla operations until the NKPA [North Korean People's Army] invasion. After the outbreak of hostilities, the KMCs fought creditably in UN [United Nations] delaying actions in southwest Korea. The turning point came when they were attached to the 1st Marine Division and sent to Pusan for test firing of their new weapons before embarking for Inchon. Immediately the Koreans commenced to model themselves after U.S. Marines so assiduously as to win respect for their spirit and rugged fighting qualities.1
The Inchon landing and the relationship with the U.S. Marine Corps were critical to the ROKMC's development. However, by the time of the landing, the Korean Marines had independently achieved acclaim for their courage and warfighting skills.
The Yosu Rebellion: The Origins of the Marine Corps
On the evening of 19 October 1948, Communists within the Republic of Korea Army's 14th Regiment mutinied after receiving orders to embark for Cheju Island, where the Yosu-based regiment was to support ongoing counterinsurgency operations. The mutineers killed nearly 30 officers before seizing the regimental armory and distributing its weapons to soldiers sympathetic to their cause.2 Between 600 and 800 soldiers of the 2,500-man regiment joined the mutiny.3 By the next morning, the rebellion had spread beyond the base into the surrounding town, where villagers joined the mutineers. The revolt spread throughout the Cholla Provinces, and rebels were moving toward the provincial capitals Kwangju and Chonju before loyalist government troops blocked their advance.4
The uprising was a major challenge to the newly established republic; President Syngman Rhee moved to suppress the revolt and recapture areas controlled by the Communist rebels.5 The government formed a task force from...