“We Are the World's Strongest Female Paratroopers”

Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop Encourages Female Soldiers After First Overall Victory at World Military Parachuting Championships

Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop met with the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command representative team, who swept the '2023 International Military Sports Council High Altitude Parachuting Competition,' at the Yongsan Defense Convention on the 31st to encourage them.

The female high-altitude parachuting team of the Special Warfare Command won the overall championship for the first time in history at the International Military Sports Council High Altitude Parachuting Competition held from the 15th to the 21st at San Javier Air Base in Murcia, Spain. This is the first overall victory since our military first participated in the World Military Parachuting Championship in 1995, including both male and female teams.

High altitude parachuting is the most covert method for Special Warfare Command operatives to infiltrate enemy territory during wartime, and participation in the world championship is considered a great opportunity to enhance the operatives' capabilities. This competition was organized as an invitational event for the top 10 countries that achieved excellent results at the 45th World Military Parachuting Championship held in June last year. Korea participated as the Asian representative with male and female teams competing in three events: mutual activity, precision parachuting, and style parachuting.

Sergeant Lee Hyun-ji of the female representative team said, "Despite symptoms of heat-related injuries such as dizziness and dehydration due to Spain's hot and humid climate and a perceived temperature close to 50 degrees Celsius, we encouraged each other and focused on the competition with the thought that 'we are representatives of the Republic of Korea military.'"

Minister Lee said, "Regardless of ranking or awards, I commend the efforts of the representative team who have done their best in their original mission," adding, "This achievement is thanks to the extreme physical training and high-difficulty exercises close to real combat that the Special Warfare Command operatives have regularly conducted." He continued, "Through this competition, we have widely demonstrated our military's combat capabilities and proven that the Special Warfare Command's high-altitude infiltration skills are world-class," urging them to continue to take pride as elite Special Warfare Command operatives and dedicate themselves to the nation and the military.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.