NZ Army soldiers training valuable skills in Korea
11 September 2025
United Nations Command
We send personnel to the United Nations Command (UNC) and the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC) in the Republic of Korea to help keep the peace between North and South Korea. New Zealand made significant contributions during the Korean War, and we’ve had deployments to UNC and its Military Armistice Commission since 1998.
The security situation on the Korean Peninsula is of great importance to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region. Our personnel from Army, Air Force and Navy conduct Armistice monitoring, education, inspection and operations functions.
The NZDF currently has 12 personnel deployed to the United Nations Command in the Republic of Korea (ROK). The United Nation Command (UNC) is a multinational body established in 1950 to defend the ROK.
Six NZDF personnel are currently deployed to the UNC Headquarters supporting the development of plans, orders and concepts of operations for activities on the Korean Peninsula.
Six personnel are currently deployed to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), which is responsible for facilitating diplomacy between North and South Korea and monitoring the armistice agreement signed at the end of the Korean War.
In June 2024, Cabinet agreed to deploy six additional personnel to support the UNC Honor Guard, as well as deploy a platoon of up-to 35 personnel to support training alongside UNC forces. In March 2026, an additional three personnel were deployed to provide support to existing NZDF personnel on the ground in the ROK.
The mandate for this deployment expires in September 2026.
