"Team 868" - fighters against terror from South Korea
Military men in claret berets can be found in South Korea infrequently. When this happens, it becomes clear: the situation is out of control and threatens the lives of civilians. Because it is only in such cases that the South Korean special forces appear - “KNP 868 command”. The territory of the training camp is closed, it is securely protected from prying eyes.
The abbreviation "KNP" is the Korean National Police ", and the number 868 is the date of the start of active activities - 8 August 1986 of the year.
Formally, the unit was created in October 1983 of the year in order to ensure the security of the Asian Games in Seoul in 1986. The very first combat mission took place in 1986. Work during the Asian Games has made an excellent advertising team. And ensuring a high level of security in the process of holding other equally important events, including the World Football Cup 2002 of the Year, and the APEC Summit 2005 of the Year in Busan, raised the special forces' authority even higher.
But fame came in 2007, when at the American international special forces group competition, “868 Team” won first place among all foreign teams (there were 15 in total) and a total seventh place among all 67 units involved. According to the Koreans themselves, the result could be better if there were more participants in their team. Since the team brought with them the entire 8 man, they were not able to maintain a high pace throughout the competition. The participants were especially remembered by the participants of the sniper shooting of Korean special forces. After such high results, international experts simply could not help but notice the South Korean special forces.
The “868 Team” is a special-purpose group, and therefore it performs tasks of particular importance. The main activities of the special forces include the protection of major events and important facilities, the fight against terrorism, the capture of dangerous criminals, and participation in security actions when law enforcement agencies are not able to cope with the task. Often the team is used as a tool of psychological influence. It is known that in Korea quite often various protest actions take place, the participants of which from time to time provoke conflicts with law enforcement agencies. In such cases, special forces appear. And since “868 Team” is well known, there are few people who want to come into conflict with them, so the riots end at the stage of the appearance of fighters in burgundy berets.
In South Korea, there is also the "707 Team", the main activity of which is the fight against terrorism. In some cases, the functions of these two commands overlap. However, their main difference is that the “868 Team” can act only on the territory of the country, and the “707 Team” has the sanctions to act outside the state, including conducting sabotage activities. The choice of a team to resolve the situation depends entirely on the Special Anti-Terrorism Committee of the South Korean government.
And only such a complex and extremely important process, like demining, fully falls on the special forces, because only the representatives of these units receive the necessary training. In the search for explosive substances, the special forces soldiers are helped by specially trained dogs.
As for the way with which you can get into the "Team", then we can confidently say that the road is closed to the average man in the street. The division has strict requirements: it should be mainly men aged from 21 to 35 years with experience in special forces for at least two years, with knowledge of at least one type of martial arts at the black belt level, preferably with higher education and driving license. However, compliance with these requirements does not guarantee automatic enrollment in the group. This gives the right to access the exam.
The exam consists of five parts: 1 - verification of documentation (that is, all the requirements described above); 2 - medical examination; 3 - check special training (this is a comprehensive test of shooting and physical training); 4 - writing test; 5 - interview. For the successful completion of the last three stages, each candidate receives points, the total amount of which shows how successfully the exam was passed.
There are strict requirements for all stages of the exam.
In general, those who do not want to leave special forces at all, but want to change the army structure, come to the special group. Therefore, most of the candidates were from the “707 team”, but at this time one can see here representatives of the special forces of the Airborne Forces, sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the marines, and the air force rescue teams.
The lifespan of the 868 Team is three years. If during this time the fighter has not received a promotion, then he is transferred to the police or even fired. The retirement age for special forces comes in 56 years, but few people linger in such structures for such a long time. As for wages, the salaries of the special forces practically do not differ from the salaries of ordinary police officers.
Having successfully passed the exam, recruits of the “868 Team” undergo compulsory special training. It lasts 30 weeks - 24 weeks of general police training, and also 6 special weeks. The main part of the training takes place in buildings and blocks located on the territory of the training camp. A gym is located on the first floor, and on the second floor there are rooms where designs imitating the structures of banks, bars, offices and other institutions are modeled in full size. Situations for the release of hostages are also being worked out here. The outer side of the building is equipped with special fixings for the descent along the ropes. This exercise was the "business card" of the group on demonstration exercises and performances.
Not far from the building there are mock-ups of airplanes and cars - also full size.
There is also an obstacle course and a pretty good shooting range and shooting range in the camp. South Korean special forces are famous for their accurate shooting skills. Even internationally, they are highly valued. Funds to conduct shooting do not regret. There are several firing sites - for snipers, for firing from automatic weapons, a pistol, as well as a special maze in which a computer randomly raises targets. The task is to navigate in time and figure out where the alleged terrorist, and where the hostage.
Fundamentals of mine clearance are taught here, but the main preparation takes place on the territory of the 8 American Army, whose center is located near Seoul.
There is also a psychological training center where various stressful situations are modeled and discussed.
The daily routine of the special forces is also quite severe: in the first half of the day, martial arts training is held, and in the second, shooting, physical training, and special training (demining, mountaineering, etc.). Twice a week, cross-country 10 kilometers, as well as marches through the mountainous terrain. And so every day from 9 to 18. Each commando in turn is part of the round-the-clock duty group.
The total number of fighters "Komadndy 868" is kept secret, but on the Internet you can often find the number 211.
From 2001, women began to be accepted into the group, but their number is also unknown. They train at the level with men.
Summing up, it can be noted that South Korea is a peaceful country and terrorist threats are possible only in theory. The country maintains tight control over weapons. The population is forbidden to have a firearm.
Thus, the main practical activity is reduced to a minimum: the suppression of terrorist acts carried out by mentally unbalanced individuals. It also happened several times to rescue hostages, but the need to shoot to kill did not arise, all conflicts were resolved peacefully.
The 868 team actively cooperates with the special forces of other countries: Singapore, the Middle East, Vietnam, Australia, and the USA. The group's management expresses its wishes for the start of cooperation with the Russian special forces Alpha, citing the opportunity to learn a lot of useful experience from Russian colleagues.
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