U.S. MARINE CORPS INSTALLATION CAMP MUJUK, South Korea -- U.S. Marines and Republic of Korea Marines attend a conference room dedication in honor Lt. Gen. Shin Hyun-Joon, the first commandant of the ROK Marine Corps and the father of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps on Camp Mujuk, South Korea, March 16, 2023.
Lt. Gen. Kim Kye-Hwan, the Commandant of the ROK Marine Corps, joined Lt. Gen. James Bierman, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force, and Brig. Gen. Brian Wolford, commander of Marine Corps Forces Korea, to dedicate a state-of-the-art conference room in honor of Lt. Gen. Shin Hyun-Joon, the first Commandant of the ROK Marine Corps.
“It was a real honor to be a part of this ceremony. Lt. Gen. Shin is the father of ROKMC; he set that tough and professional warfighting organization on its current trajectory,” said Bierman. “In the Korean War, Lt. Gen. Shin fought alongside Marine Corps legends like Maj. Gen. Oliver P. Smith. The decision to dedicate this conference room to him is a testimony to the enduring strength of the US/ROK Marine Corps partnership.”
The foundation of the ROK Marine Corps is akin to that of their U.S. Marine counterparts—both formed with purpose, limited resources, and out of necessity to meet the security needs of their nation. Shin established the ROK Marine Corps on April 15, 1949, becoming the first Commandant for the ROK Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel. Shin established a small unit with 380 men and limited resources needed to accomplish their mission.
Lt. Gen. Shin’s service to his people extended beyond the military. In addition to being the longest serving general officer in the Korean military, he became the longest serving Ambassador representing the Country of Korea abroad—first in Morocco and then Vatican City, according to defense officials at ROK Marine Corps headquarters.
The rededication of this space to the General Shin Conference Room signifies the mutual respect and shared linage of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Shin guided the ROK Marine Corps with three standing principles: Marines should be united as one; Marines must be a lamb to their people and a lion to the enemy; and create a history of guarding freedom of the nation and the Korean people.
“I hope that new tradition and history of the ROK and the US Marine Corps will begin here in honor of the first ROK Marine Corps Commandant Shin Hyun -Jun, who led the formation of the Marine Corps,” said Kye-Hwan.
The ROK-U.S. alliance is vital to the collective defense and security of the Korean Peninsula and the region, and the lynchpin of U.S. joint force posture in Northeast Asia.