Military Deploys 2,660 Troops for Gyeongju APEC Support, "Continuous Review"

The South Korean military will deploy approximately 2,660 personnel to support the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, which will be held in Gyeongju next week. In particular, around 450 personnel-including drivers, interpreters, and counter-terrorism specialists-will be assigned to directly support the participating countries, ensuring that protocol and hospitality are thoroughly maintained.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on October 21, the military established and has been implementing an operational plan since early July, involving the Ministry’s planning team and the military operations headquarters. The Ministry secured a budget of 2.4 billion won for the operations headquarters, completing preparations such as upgrading and maintaining military airport protocol facilities to support the event in line with national prestige.

A total of about 2,660 troops will be deployed for this APEC Summit. Approximately 60 personnel will be assigned to the military operations headquarters, and about 2,120 will serve as operational forces. In addition, a security and safety control unit of around 480 members will be dispatched. This unit is composed of a 27-member support team for the operations headquarters, 334 drivers for VIPs from participating countries, 54 counter-terrorism personnel, 22 interpreters, and 40 inspection staff.

Yonhap News Agency

The military operations headquarters (2nd Operations Command) will assign about 2,180 personnel under the security and safety control unit to carry out key missions, including: ▲ security operations for main event venues, routes, airspace, and maritime areas; ▲ order maintenance and safety support activities at and around the venues; ▲ protection and counter-terrorism duties for key dignitaries from participating countries; ▲ driving and interpretation support; and ▲ active response to other requests from the security and safety control unit (Integrated Situation Room).

To this end, the Joint Chiefs of Staff established operational orders for security and guard operations, including force deployment by operational element, position selection, and obstacle installation, and issued these orders on October 3. The operations headquarters set up an integrated situation room at the Gyeongju battalion and dispatched an advance team starting October 13.

Additionally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff appointed Army, Navy, and Air Force general-grade regional defense commanders (the commanders of the 50th and 53rd Divisions, the 1st and 3rd Fleet Commanders, and the 5th Air Mobility Wing Commander, totaling five unit commanders) as security and guard officers responsible for four key areas and facilities: ▲ Busan, ▲ Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, ▲ Pohang and Busan, and ▲ Gimhae Airport. These commanders will carry out security, counter-terrorism operations, and other support activities in their respective regions.

Furthermore, the Joint Chiefs of Staff formed a “military operations headquarters support team” and assigned it to the integrated situation room of the security and safety control unit, ensuring that military forces can be immediately mobilized as needed. The Ministry of National Defense stated, “We will continue to review our preparations and address any shortcomings before the APEC Summit, making every effort to ensure the event’s success.”

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