Steel Troops

Steel Troops (Korean: 강철부대; RR: Kangcheolbudae) is a South Korean reality show broadcast on Channel A and ENA (formerly skyTV). Dubbed a "military survival program," the show features male South Korean reservists who served in various special forces units across different branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. Participants go head to head in teams of four, representing their respective unit to fight for the title of the best special forces unit in Korea.

Steel Troops
Promotional poster for Season 2
Also known as	The Iron Squad
Genre	Reality television, military
Starring	Kim Sung-joo Kim Hee-chul Kim Dong-hyun Choi Young-jae Chuu (Season 1, 3) Yoon Doo-joon (Season 3) Jang Dong-min (Season 1-2) An Yu-jin (Season 2)
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	28 + 6 specials
Production
Running time	100 minutes
Original release
Network	Channel A, ENA (formerly skyTV)
Release	March 23, 2021 (2021-03-23) – present

A series of missions, designed by military experts, test the participants' physical stamina, mental strength, and cooperation to determine the last team standing.^[1][2] Episodes also include concurrent commentary from a panel of hosts, including the "Master" who runs the competition events.

Season 1 aired every Tuesday at 22:30 (KST) from March 23, 2021, to July 20, 2021. This season featured 24 participants from six units across the Republic of Korea Army and Republic of Korea Navy. It was also released on Netflix under the title The Iron Squad and gained a high viewership ranking on release.^[3]

Season 2 aired every Tuesday at 21:20 (KST) from February 22, 2022, to June 7, 2022. The new season introduces two new units not featured in Season 1, including one from the Republic of Korea Air Force, for a total of 32 participants hailing from eight units.

Season 3 premiered on September 19, 2023 and airs every Tuesday at 22:30 (KST). Another two new units were introduced, including the first non-Korean team, composed of former retired US special forces members, alongside new participants from the top four units of Season 2.

Hosts

Panelist	Season 1	Season 2	Season 3	W
Kim Sung-joo[4]	All episodes	All episodes	All episodes	All episodes
Jang Dong-min[4]		Ep. 1–8	Does not appear	Does not appear
Kim Hee-chul[4]		Absent in ep. 9	All episodes	All episodes
Kim Dong-hyun[4]		Absent in ep. 5–6
Choi Young-jae (Master)[4]		All episodes
Chuu[4]	Absent in ep. 13–14	Does not appear
An Yu-jin	Does not appear	Absent in ep. 10–12	Does not appear	Does not appear
Yoon Doo-joon	Does not appear	Does not appear	All episodes	Does not appear
Jang Eun-sil[5]	Does not appear	Does not appear	Does not appear	All episodes
Guest Panelists
Park Goon [ko]	Ep. 13[6]	Ep. 6, 10–16[a]	Does not appear	Does not appear
Yujeong (Brave Girls)	Ep. 14[7]	Does not appear	Does not appear	Does not appear
Oh Jong-hyuk	Does not appear	Ep. 5, 9	Does not appear	Does not appear
Yuk Jun-Seo	Does not appear	Ep. 9–12	Does not appear	Does not appear
Jo Sung-won[8]	Does not appear	Does not appear	Does not appear	Ep. 7–10

Participants

Each team consists of four reservists representing their respective special forces unit, with a team leader (indicated in bold) selected by the team members.

Part of a Season 2 promotional poster featuring team emblems used on the show

Season 1

Unit Name	Military Branch	Members[9][10]	Reservist Rank
Special Warfare Command (육군특수전사령부)	ROK Army	Park Jun-woo (Park Goon [ko])	Sangsa (Master sergeant)
		Jeong Tae-gyun (Marvel.J)	Jungwi (Lieutenant)
		Kim Hyun-dong	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Park Do-hyeon	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
Marine Corps Special Recon (해병대특수수색대)	ROK Marine Corps	Oh Jong-hyuk	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
		Ahn Philip	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Jeong Hoon	Jungwi (Lieutenant)
		Ahn Tae-hwan [ko]	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
707th Special Mission Group (제707특수임무단)	ROK Army	Lee Jin-bong	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Im Woo-young
		Yeom Seung-chul
		Kim Pil-sung[b]
		Park Soo-min[c]
UDT (해군특수전전단)	ROK Navy	Kim Bum-Seok (Kim Min-jun)	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Yuk Jun-seo	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Jeong Jong-hyun	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Kim Sang-wook	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
SDT (Special Duty Team) (군사경찰특임대)	ROK Army	Kim Min-su	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
		Lee Jeong-min
		Kang Jun
		Kang Won-jae
SSU (Sea Salvage & Rescue Unit) (해난구조전대)	ROK Navy	Jeong Seong-hoon	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Jeong Hae-chul	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
		Kim Min-su
		Hwang Chung-won

Season 2

Unit Name	Military Branch	Members	Reservist Rank
Special Warfare Command (육군특수전사령부)	ROK Army	Kim Hwang-jung[d]	Jungwi (Lieutenant)
		Oh Sang-young	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Choi Yong-jun[d]
		Jeong Tae-pung	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
		Seong Tae-hyun[e]	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
Marine Corps Special Recon (해병대특수수색대)	ROK Marine Corps	Jeong Ho-geun	Jungwi (Lieutenant)
		Park Gil-yeon	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Lee Dae-young	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
		Gu Dong-yeol
707th Special Mission Group (제707특수임무단)	ROK Army	Lee Ju-yong	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Hong Myeong-hwa
		Gu Seong-hwi
		Lee Jeong-won
UDT (해군특수전전단)	ROK Navy	Yoon Jong-jin	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Gwon Ho-je	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Gu Min-cheol	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Kim Myeong-jae	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
SDT (Special Duty Team)[f] (군사경찰특임대)	ROK Navy	Song Bo-geun	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
	ROK Army	Choi Seong-hyeon
		Ji Won-jae[g]
	ROK Air Force	Kim Tae-ho
	ROK Army	Kang Jun[g]
SSU (Sea Salvage & Rescue Unit) (해난구조전대)	ROK Navy	Kim Dong-rok	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Heo Nam-gil	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Kim Jeong-woo
		Kim Geon	Byeongjang (Sergeant)
SART (Special Air Rescue Team) (특수탐색구조대대)	ROK Air Force	Jeon Hyeong-jin	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Kang Cheong-myung	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Jo Seong-ho	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
		Lee Yu-jeong	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
HID (Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment) (국군정보사령부특임대)	ROK Army (ROK Defence Intelligence Command)	Kim Seung-min	Undisclosed[h]
		Lee Min-gon
		Han Jae-sung
		Lee Dong-gyu

Season 3

Unit Name	Military Branch	Members	Reservist Rank
Special Warfare Command (육군특수전사령부)	ROK Army	Bae Yi-jeong	Daewi (Captain)
		Park Mun-ho	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Jeong Seung-hun
		Kim Dae-seong
707th Special Mission Group (제707특수임무단)	ROK Army	Hong Beom-seok	Sangsa (Master sergeant)
		Oh Yo-han	Daewi (Captain)
		Park Chan-gyu	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Lee Yu-seok
UDT (해군특수전전단)	ROK Navy	Kim Gyeong-baek	Sangsa (Master sergeant)
		Lee Jeong-jun	Daewi (Captain)
		Jeong Jong-hyun[i]	Jungsa (Sergeant first class)
		Lee Han-jun	Hasa (Staff sergeant)
HID (Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment) (육군첩보부대)	ROK Army (ROK Defence Intelligence Command)	Kang Min-ho	Undisclosed[h]
		Go Ya-yung
		Park Ji-yun
		Lee Dong-gyu[j]
UDU (Underwater Demolition Unit) (해군첩보부대)	ROK Navy (ROK Defence Intelligence Command)	Kim Su-won	Undisclosed[h]
		Kim Hyeon-yeong
		Go In-ho
		Lee Byeong-ju
USSF (United States Special Forces)	US Navy SEALs	Kaj Larsen (Age: 46)	Lieutenant Commander (Ret.)
		Ian Schinelli (Age: 37)	Petty Officer First Class (Ret.)
		Jeff Gum (Age: 39)	Petty Officer First Class (Ret.)
	US Green Beret and Marine Force Recon (not listed on show)	Wil Ravelo (Age: 46)	Sergeant First Class (Ret.)

List of episodes

In the ratings below, the highest rating for the season will be in red and the lowest rating for the season will be in blue.

Season 1 Episode Broadcast Date Rating[11] 1 March 23, 2021 2.943% 2 March 30, 2021 3.484% 3 April 6, 2021 4.353% 4 April 13, 2021 4.900% 5 April 20, 2021 4.746% 6 April 27, 2021 4.834% 7 May 4, 2021 6.267% 8 May 11, 2021 5.902% 9 May 18, 2021 6.844% 10 May 25, 2021 5.777% 11 June 1, 2021 5.721% 12 June 8, 2021 5.628% 13 June 15, 2021 5.410% 14 June 22, 2021 4.746% "Reunion" Special 15 June 29, 2021 4.210% 16 July 6, 2021 3.712% "Behind the Scenes" Special 17 July 13, 2021 3.022% 18 July 20, 2021 1.6%

Season 2 Episodes Broadcast Date Rating[12] 1 February 22, 2022 4.209% 2 March 1, 2022 4.377% 3 March 8, 2022 3.722% 4 March 15, 2022 3.330% 5 March 22, 2022 2.9% 6 March 29, 2022 3.1% 7 April 5, 2022 3.833% 8 April 12, 2022 3.379% 9 April 19, 2022 3.545% 10 April 26, 2022 3.506% 11 May 3, 2022 3.415% 12 May 10, 2022 3.589% 13 May 17, 2022 3.537% 14 May 24, 2022 3.105%

Mission results

Season 1

The first three elimination stages followed a double-elimination tournament style, with a main mission (indicated in bold) determining the participants of the "Death Match" elimination round. Following the revival round, the competition switched to a single-elimination style without a Death Match. Each stage also featured a "Benefit Mission" where the winner would be given an advantage in the main mission that followed. In the case of the second elimination stage, the lowest-ranking team was also sent directly to Death Match, bypassing the main mission.

Stage	Mission		SWC	MCSR	707	UDT	SDT	SSU
Strongest member contest[k]	Round 1: Trench Combat		2 advanced	3 advanced	1 advanced	2 advanced	2 advanced	2 advanced
	Round 2: Assault Course		2 advanced	0 advanced	0 advanced	1 advanced	1 advanced	1 advanced
	Round 3: Winter Sea Rescue		3rd, 4th			2nd	5th	1st[l]
First elimination	IBS Rescue		Lost (vs 707)	Lost (vs UDT)	Won (vs SWC)	Won (vs MCSR)	Lost (vs SSU)	Won (vs SDT)
	Death Match: Tire Flip		1st	Eliminated			2nd
Second elimination	Benefit Mission	Round 1: Highland Race	2nd		1st	4th	5th	3rd
		Round 2: Range Shooting				Lost	Won
	Counter-terrorism Rescue		Won (vs SDT)		Won (vs SSU)		Lost (vs SWC)	Lost (vs 707)
	Death Match: 10 km Mountain March					1st	Eliminated	2nd
Third elimination	Benefit Mission	Round 1: Capture the Leader	Won (vs SSU)		Lost[m] (vs UDT)	Won (vs 707)		Lost (vs SWC)
		Round 2: Tire Tug-of-war	Lost			Won
	Nightfall Joint Operation (SWC & 707 vs UDT & SSU)		Won		Won	Lost		Lost
	Death Match: Tire Scramble					Won		Eliminated
Revival Round: Breaching Garorim Bay				2nd			3rd	Revived
Round of 4	Benefit Mission: Target Shooting		3rd		2nd	1st
	Recapture the Ship (SWC vs UDT)		Eliminated			Won
	Frontline Supplies (707 vs SSU)				Eliminated[b]			Won
Final	Benefit Mission: Marine Infiltration					Won		Lost
	Operation Isabu					Won		Runner-up

Season 2

The second season largely continued with the format of main missions and Death Matches until the round of 4, with the exception of the first stage which was a direct elimination round. Other notable changes include:

• Upgraded benefits, such as an increased quantity (strongest member contest) or automatic advancement to the next stage (second Benefit Mission)
• Use of live firing in shooting contests, instead of airsoft guns as used in Season 1
• Joint elimination, as in the third stage
• Possibility of mission failure, as in the second and final stages

Stage	Mission		SWC	MCSR	707	UDT	SDT	SSU	SART	HID
Strongest member contest[n]	Round 1: Trench Combat		2 advanced	2 advanced	2 advanced	2 advanced	2 advanced	1 advanced	0 advanced	1 advanced
	Round 2: Assault Course		1 advanced	1 advanced	2 advanced	0 advanced	1 advanced	1 advanced		0 advanced
	Round 3: 100 kg Log Pull		3rd	2nd	1st,[o] 6th		4th	5th
First elimination	Winter Highland Race[p]		Won (vs SDT)	Won (vs SSU)	Won (vs HID)	Lost (vs SART)	Lost (vs SWC)	Lost (vs MCSR)	Won (vs UDT)	Lost (vs 707)
						Survived	Survived	Eliminated		Survived
Second elimination	Benefit Mission	Round 1: Precision Shooting	2nd (27)	6th (22)	7th (19)[q]	2nd (27)	5th (24)		4th (26)	1st (28)
		Round 2: Infiltration Sniper	3rd			2nd				1st
	Counter-terrorism Hostage Rescue		Won (vs 707)	Won (vs SART)	Lost (vs SWC)	Won (vs SDT)	Lost (vs UDT)		Lost (vs MCSR)	Advanced
	Death Match: 50 kg Signal Gear Transport				2nd		Eliminated[g]		1st
Third elimination[r]	Benefit Mission: Rucksack Foot Volleyball		Won	Advanced	Lost	Lost			Advanced	Won
			Won	Lost					Lost	Won
	Maritime Joint Operation		2nd[e] (with HID)	3rd (with SART)	1st (with UDT)	1st (with 707)			3rd (with MCSR)	2nd (with SWC)
	Death Match: Alliance Tire Flip		Won	Eliminated					Eliminated	Won
Round of 4	Benefit Mission	Round 1: Capture the Flag	Won (vs 707)		Lost (vs SWC)	Lost (vs HID)				Won (vs UDT)
		Round 2: Capture the Leader	Lost (vs HID)							Won (vs SWC)
	Recapture the Plane (SWC vs 707)		Won		Eliminated
	Garorim Bay Supplies (UDT vs HID)					Won				Eliminated
Final	Benefit Mission: Shooting Roundup[s] Round 1: Precision Shooting Round 2: Mobile Shooting Round 3: Infiltration Sniper		Lost (1:2)			Won (2:1)
	Operation Nuri		Won			Runner-up

Season 3

As of the second elimination stage, the competition format remains unchanged. This season opened with a notably higher calibre team introductions segment, where the customary pull-up friendly contest in a filming studio was upgraded to live firing at sea on a Korean Coast Guard vessel. Other show firsts included:

• Access to military bases for events involving live firing
• Use of MILES gear by opposition forces
• Participants joining the opposition forces against their competitors, as in the second stage

Stage	Mission		SWC	707	UDT	HID	UDU	USSF
Strongest member contest[t]	Round 1: Trench Combat		2 advanced	0 advanced	4 advanced	4 advanced	2 advanced	0 advanced
	Round 2: Assault Course		0 advanced		2 advanced[u]	3 advanced	1 advanced
	Round 3: Hostage Rescue & Shooting				Won[v]	Lost	Lost
First elimination	Marine Explosive Disposal		Lost (vs UDU)	Won (vs HID)	Lost (vs USSF)	Lost (vs 707)	Won (vs SWC)	Won (vs UDT)
	Death Match: 3-ton Truck Push		Eliminated		1st	2nd
Second elimination	Benefit Mission 1	Round 1: Multi-Firearm Shooting		3rd	4th	1st	1st	5th
		Round 2: Infiltration Sniper		3rd		1st	2nd
	Benefit Mission 2: Tire Tug-of-war			3rd	3rd		2nd	1st
	Counter-terrorism Joint Operation (707 & USSF vs UDT & UDU)			Won	Lost	Advanced	Lost	Won
	Death Match: Mud Flat Tire Flip				Won		Eliminated
Round of 4	Mopping-up Operations (HID vs USSF)					Won		Eliminated
	Supply Foot March (707 vs UDT)			Won	Eliminated
Final	Benefit Mission: Integrated Mobile Shooting[w] Round 1: Pistol Shooting Round 2: Breaching and Rifle Shooting Round 3: Marine Infiltration Sniper			Won (Quickest time over combined 3 rounds) 1.Lost 2. Win 3. Lost		Lost 1.Win 2. Lost 3. Win
	Summit VIP Rescue Operation		HID Won

Notes

1. Park Goon joined as a fixed panelist from episode 10, following Jang Dong-min's departure from the show.
2. Kim Pil-sung joined the 707 team from episode 12, replacing Park Soo-min.
3. Park Soo-min stepped down from the show following a personal scandal. His appearances in pre-taped footage were edited out entirely from episodes 4 to 11.
4. Kim Hwang-jung stepped down from the show in episode 7 due to personal injury. He was succeeded by Choi Yong-jun as the team leader.
5. Seong Tae-hyun joined the show from episode 7, replacing Kim Hwang-jung.
6. As a military police unit, SDTs exist in each branch of the ROK Armed Forces. Season 2 includes representatives across all branches, unlike Season 1.
7. Ji Won-jae stepped down in episode 6 after sustaining a leg injury during a mission. He was replaced by Kang Jun from Season 1.
8. Due to the unit's classified status, the members' individual ranks were not disclosed.
9. Returning participant, previously on Season 1's UDT team
10. Returning participant, previously on Season 2's HID team
11. Conducted as an individual contest, the final winner was crowned the "strongest member" and his team awarded a benefit in the first main mission.
12. Jeong Hae-chul of the SSU team was crowned the "strongest member" of Season 1.
13. The 707 team voluntarily ceded victory to the UDT team before the match.
14. This individual contest in Season 2 provided 3 different benefits to the top 3, as opposed to a single benefit for the top 1 in Season 1.
15. Lee Ju-yong of the 707 team was crowned the "strongest member" of Season 2.
16. Each match's winning team automatically advanced, while the losing team with the slowest time was eliminated.
17. Lee Ju-yong shot a total of 28 points, but his last shot was disqualified as it exceeded the 10-second time limit.
18. Alliances of two teams each were formed and maintained for all missions in this stage.
19. This Benefit Mission was split into three rounds, where the first team to secure two victories won the benefit.
20. As in Season 1, only the top "strongest member" won the benefit for his team.
21. Lee Han-jun eventually forfeited his place in the next round after suffering a leg injury while finishing the assault course.
22. Jeong Jong-hyun of the UDT team was crowned the "strongest member" of Season 3.
23. This Benefit Mission was a time attack split into three rounds, where the team with the shorter recorded time wins.