The Republic of Korea Marine Corps participated in "Khaan Quest," a multinational United Nations peacekeeping operation (PKO) exercise held in Mongolia, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.
Twenty-one troops from the Marine Corps' 2nd Rapid Response Force, which serves as a standing overseas deployment unit, along with one medical command member, took part in the "2026 Khaan Quest" exercise held at the Oreung training ground in Mongolia from Nov. 20 to Dec. 3.
Alongside multinational forces, they honed their combined operations capabilities by mastering UN peacekeeping operation tactical tasks, including operating fixed and mobile checkpoints, responding to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), treating combat casualties, and countering unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Marine Corps explained that it enhanced the exercise's results by operating K2C1 rifles equipped with Marine Corps Warrior Platform gear such as personal weapon sights, high-performance magnifiers, and laser target designators.
The Khaan Quest exercise began in 2003 as a combined drill between the U.S. Pacific Command and the Mongolian military, and expanded into a multinational PKO exercise starting in 2006.
The Korean military first participated in 2006 by joining as training instructors at the request of the U.S. Pacific Command and the Mongolian military. Since 2014, the Marine Corps and the Special Warfare Command have participated in alternating years, with the Marine Corps taking part in even-numbered years and the Special Warfare Command in odd-numbered years.
