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Korea's Hanbit Unit marks 12th year of deployment to South Sudan

Published: 31 Mar. 2025, 09:41 Updated: 31 Mar. 2025, 11:10

Two soldiers of the Hanbit Unit stand guard at a construction site in South Sudan on Feb. 12. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]

“A gift from god.”

This phrase was used by residents of South Sudan to describe the 280-member Hanbit Unit, according to the Korean military. The Korean peacekeeping unit was deployed in 2013, two years after South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.

The one expression captures the efforts by the Hanbit Unit, primarily composed of sappers, to help rebuild South Sudan after more than 50 years of civil war, the military said.

As of Sunday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that the Hanbit Unit’s most notable accomplishment since its first deployment on Mar. 31, 2013, has been the repair work on the main supply routes. The unit — now in its 19th rotation — marked the 12th anniversary of its deployment on Monday.

The Hanbit Unit has repaired up to 2,500 kilometers (1553.4 miles) of main supply routes, with the 19th rotation completing work on 307 kilometers this month.

Because these routes transport essentials such as food and medical supplies, locals regard them as lifelines. In particular, securing the main routes centered on Bor, a key city where a branch of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is based, is crucial for food distribution to residents.

However, due to annual rainy seasons, it is common for roads to be washed away when the White Nile overflows.

If properly maintained, paved roads could be used as movement paths by rebel forces, making new construction a delicate matter. Unpaved roads must be repaired regularly in preparation for the rainy season from April to November.

The Hanbit Unit focused heavily on efficiency in this round of repairs by operating an equipment hub between its base camp and temporary lodging site. The need for repairs has increased as the WFP's transport volume has grown. After repairs, vehicle speeds rose significantly from 10 kilometers per hour to over 60, and traffic volume also increased, the military said.

The repairs were also completed swiftly. The Hanbit Unit was the first to finish its assigned tasks, even as six other engineering units from China, India, Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan continued their work.

Col. Kwon Byung-guk, commander of the Hanbit Unit, left, poses with vocational school graduate Gatmai Magok Nhial for a photo on Feb. 20 in South Sudan. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]

Civil-military projects aimed at improving residents' living and medical conditions are also being carried out.

Six donation ceremonies were held in local villages from December of last year through March of this year, delivering 17,025 items, including medicines and various daily necessities, worth around 120 million won.

"It provided a foundation for smooth cooperation during the supply route repair operations and served as a buffer to prevent unnecessary friction in the region," said an official from the JCS.

The military believes that the vocational school, which has been operating since 2016, and the farm, which opened in 2014, have also helped earn residents’ trust. Both the school and farm are operated by the Hanbit Unit.

The vocational school offers training in electricity, plumbing, poultry farming and agriculture, while the farm is actively working to find high-quality rice varieties to promote local rice cultivation. All programs are focused on enabling the self-sufficiency of the South Sudanese people.

"As a citizen of Korea who has experienced the Miracle on the Han River, I dream of a Miracle on the Nile for South Sudan," said Col. Kwon Byung-guk, who was part of four deployments and commanded the unit in 2024.

"I hope the Hanbit Unit’s reconstruction support and humanitarian activities will lead to harmony, unity and prosperity among South Sudan’s tribes."

BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG [[email protected]]