▲ South Korea's Marine Corps participates in an annual multinational exercise, dubbed KAMANDAG exercise, scheduled to run in the Philippines from June 14 to July 1, in this photo provided by the Marine Corps on June 30, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Marine Corps-multinational drills

S. Korea's Marine Corps participates in annual multinational exercise in Philippines

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Marine Corps has taken part in a multinational joint exercise in the Philippines, seeking to enhance its interoperability with foreign troops, the armed service said Tuesday.

The KAMANDAG exercise, which kicked off on June 14, is set to run through Wednesday near Luzon island in the Philippines, involving troops from three other nations: the United States, the Philippines and Japan.

South Korean troops established a joint command-and-control center with other participating countries to train staff officers in a simulated scenario as part of the command post exercise (CPX).

This year, South Korean marines also shared tips on the operation and maintenance of the Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicle (KAAV) with their Filipino counterparts. The Philippine Marine Corps fielded eight such armored vehicles in 2016.

Established in 2017, the multinational drill, jointly led by the Philippine and U.S. Marine Corps, is designed to strengthen counterterrorism capabilities and coastal defense operations. South Korea has participated in the drills annually since 2022.

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