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A platoon of New Zealand Army soldiers touched down on the Korean Peninsula on July 30th 2025, greeted by members of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, “Raiders,” 4th Infantry Division, and marked the moment with a thunderous haka.
Boots pounded the tarmac and voices rang out in unison as the soldiers, dressed in full uniform, performed the 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment haka upon exiting their aircraft, as an acknowledgment to those who welcomed them to Korea. For those witnessing the event, it was a powerful and emotional first impression.
This rotation marks a historic first: the deployment of New Zealand soldiers to Korea with their own weapons and equipment since the Korean War. While New Zealand has maintained a permanent presence of 12 uniformed personnel within the UNC and the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), this is the first time a UN member nation other than the United States or Republic of Korea has conducted a troop deployment of this nature.
“This deployment is significant because it reinforces our long-standing commitment to our partners in the region,” said Captain Tony Calder-Steele, New Zealand Defence Force Liaison Officer in Korea. “New Zealand has a proud history of supporting security and stability on the Korean Peninsula, beginning with our contribution during the Korean War. This deployment serves to continue that legacy.”
Attached to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, the New Zealand platoon will participate in a series of major training events alongside U.S. and ROK forces, including Expert Infantry Badge testing, urban and air assault training, and a Korean Combat Training Center (KCTC) rotation.
“Our purpose here is to strengthen interoperability with both the United States Army and the Republic of Korea Army,” Calder-Steele added. “We are focused on sharing tactics, techniques, and experience to enhance collective effectiveness. At the same time, our soldiers are building strong professional and personal relationships with their counterparts. They are experiencing Korean culture, history, and traditions alongside the people we are training with, and those bonds will last well beyond this deployment.”
Calder-Steele emphasized that this initiative “sets conditions for the future,” creating pathways for future contributions to the Korean Peninsula while strengthening New Zealand’s reputation on the global stage.
As the New Zealanders integrate into the Raider Brigade, their presence brings a unique cultural and operational perspective to the multinational training environment. Overall, signaling a deepening of allied cooperation on the Korean Peninsula.
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2025 21:53 |
| Story ID: | 544646 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New Zealand Soldiers Arrive in Korea, Perform Haka to Mark Historic Deployment, by 1LT Jonathan Sauls, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
