Female Marine stands guard on Korea’s front-line island
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Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Yoo Mi-young, deputy platoon leader of the Udo Guard Unit under the Yeonpyeong Unit, conducts a coastal search operation with her fellow Marines on the island near the inter-Korean maritime border. Courtesy of ROK Marine Corps
When Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Yoo Mi-young was assigned to Udo Island, it was not the well-known tourist destination off Jeju but a much smaller island off Ganghwa in Incheon, near the inter-Korean maritime border.
The scenery immediately caught her eye, but so did the significance of serving at one of Korea’s front-line military outposts.
It is during nighttime guard duty, with the coastline quiet around her, that Yoo feels the weight of that responsibility.
“When I look out over the coast in the stillness of the night, I feel a strong sense of responsibility for guarding the country’s front line,” Yoo said in an interview with The Korea Times.
Yoo serves as deputy platoon leader of the Marine Corps’ Udo Guard Unit, part of the Yeonpyeong Unit, where her duties include coastal security operations, training and equipment inspections.
Commissioned in July 2023, Yoo said she joined the Marines to challenge herself and serve her country. She was drawn to the demanding training and the chance to push her limits alongside fellow Marines, despite her family’s initial concerns about her decision.
Working on Udo has also meant adapting to changing weather and sea conditions. Yoo said regular training and equipment checks are essential to maintaining operational readiness.
Yoo said she sometimes finds the physically demanding work challenging, but considers her duties as deputy platoon leader more important than her gender.
“Rather than focusing on being a woman, I believe what matters more is properly carrying out my duties as deputy platoon leader,” she said.
She also said she has seen more women taking on a wider range of military roles since she joined the Marines.
“We need to trust and rely on one another to work as a team in difficult situations,” she said. “That’s why I try to lead by example and work alongside my fellow Marines.”
Yoo said she enjoys joking around with friends when she is not on duty. She hopes to become a dependable leader respected by her fellow Marines.
